The big picture for Florida State is player development. Practice and playing on special teams can prepare players for game days. But nothing compares to snaps in games.
Coaches are leaning more and more on true freshman on offense, including in the game at Miami. There's no easy button to expedite their development, but snaps are valuable in the development toward their future.
This is evident as FSU is playing true freshmen at quarterback (Luke Kromenhoek), tailback (Micahi Danzy), wide receiver (Lawayne McCoy, Elijah Moore and BJ Gibson) and tight end (Landen Thomas and Amaree Williams). Thomas is up to 149 snaps, most among the 2024 signees and nearly all of those have come in the last four games.
While only Thomas has started, he did so for the third time on Saturday, the coaches have pushed forward at receiver with freshmen.
"Anybody that goes on the field, they have to earn those opportunities to get on the field," FSU coach Mike Norvell said. "They've earned opportunities to get out there. Now, in the game there was good and there was some bad. Guys had opportunities in the game to make plays, to go out there and operate and execute. Some of them got first experiences, and they realized the importance of some of the finer details of things that we need to do and where we can be better.
"Now we have to grow from that, apply that this week. With the next opportunity you have to go capitalize on it."
Norvell fields tough questions about offseason, play-calling
This was the first significant experience for Moore (14 of his 15 snaps came at Miami) as well as Gibson (16 of his 19 snaps vs. the Hurricanes). Lawayne McCoy has been used as a punt returner, where he has without question struggled, but he picked up his first two catches and finished with 13 yards. McCoy has played 50 offensive snaps.
Part of those growing pains: McCoy, Moore and Gibson each had a drop on Saturday.
Kam Davis, who was announced as out before the Miami game, has played 92 snaps.
Aside from Thomas, defensive-end-turned-tight-end Amaree Williams has 69 snaps. Williams said he still intends to shift to defense but has an interest in trying to play DE and TE in 2025. The Osceola staff discussed early in the season that Williams might be too good to keep off the field this fall, and he's shown to be a productive option. Williams has played in four games, but expect the coaches to push forward and continue to use him in FSU's final month.
Any FSU player can participate in up to four games without losing a year of eligibility. So it's a benefit to Norvell and player development to use some players in more games moving forward.
While Norvell was asked about FSU's freshmen receivers, he continued an answer by shifting to defensive backs Cai Bates, Charles Lester III and Ricky Knight. He acknowledged FSU's established, veteran depth at defensive back with starters like AZ Thomas and Fentrell Cypress but praised what he had seen in practice with true freshmen who could shape the future of the defensive backfield.l
"Some positions there's been probably a bigger door of opportunity to walk through," Norvell said. "I think our defensive backs have played well for the most part throughout the course of this year in the corner position. When you see guys like Cai Bates, Charles Lester, those guys are getting exponentially better within the course of practice. Ricky Knight.
"I'm really excited about that group. They haven't maybe had as many opportunities just because of how we played with guys that are in front of them, but they're continuing to work. They're continuing to push."
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