Warchant TV: Q&A with FSU freshman quarterback A.J. Duffy

Florida State freshman quarterback A.J. Duffy, who enrolled in January, spoke with the media this morning via Zoom.

Duffy talked about his recruiting process and said he is focusing on learning the playbook and earning the respect of his teammates.

You can watch the interview right here or read the entire Q&A below:

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Q: What has life been like since you have arrived on campus as an early enrollee for the spring semester?

A: Life has been good here, a little cold weather, that’s the only thing that bothered me. Workouts, school, just getting into the swing of things. Just learning campus, really learning everything.

Q: What is the benefit of enrolling early?

A: Being an early enrollee can just help in every aspect. You get an extra spring ball. You get to come in earlier and learn more, lift earlier. Every aspect was why I chose to do it.

Q: How far back does your dad’s relationship with Coach Norvell go? How helpful was that during the recruiting process that they both knew each other for quite a while?

A: My dad has known Coach Norvell since he was back as the offensive coordinator going back to Arizona State. That was a big part of choosing to come here because of the relationship they have built and just the trust that my dad has with him and the trust that I have in Coach.

Q: Since you’ve been on campus spending some time with quarterback Jordan Travis, what is your relationship with him so far and what have you learned from him?

A: I have a great relationship with Jordan. I have learned a ton of stuff from him. He’s been helping me learn the offense, teaching me the nuances of it. And then he’s been helping me with Tour of Duty workouts, and he’s just kind of been there for me. He’s a great resource.

Q: How much had you dealt with Tony Tokarz before he was elevated to his current role? How much does that help translate with him being your position coach now full-time?

A: With Coach Tony, I have known him kind of the whole recruiting process. I have always talked to him every visit I came up here. He is a great guy, and me and my dad both love him.

Q: How important was it for you to hit the ground running, already build relationships, and be so far along once you got here?

A: I just really wanted – once I committed, I was just all about FSU. I didn’t waver. So I just wanted to meet everyone, talk to everyone. Do as much as I could even though I wasn’t here yet.

Q: How much did you enjoy that Under Armour All-America experience? It seemed like you had a really good week out there. I know you might not have been the highest-rated guy going in, but a lot of people felt like you had a great week. What was your mindset going into that?

A: The Under Armour game was special for me because I had been a part of it in eighth grade. Even before that I was a ball boy, I think in 2014. I just wanted to go out there and have fun and just do what I do. It was a great time, a great week, and it was a lot of fun overall.

Q: When we talked to Coach Atkins and Coach Tokarz, they said you really get into the film room and study the game. Do you enjoy watching film? And if so, what aspects do you like?

A: Yeah I really enjoy watching film. Being a coach's kid, I’ve kind of grown up watching film, messing around and doodling plays all the time. I just like everything about it. Right now, it is mostly focused on learning the new offense. It's more installs and stuff like that, but it's still a lot of fun. Just get after as much as I can.

Q: Have you reached out to anybody to ask advice about what you can you do as a true freshman to really kind of really be ready and compete at a Power 5 level, as a freshman?

A: I haven’t really reached out to anyone in particular. Talked to my family about it. I kind of know what I have to do. You just have to learn the playbook, and be around the guys, and just be the guy that they can trust. I am just trying to do that and realty build respect for those guys.

Q: Growing up, was there any sort of quarterback that you kind of emulated. Someone that really stood out to and someone that you wanted to become so to speak?

A: My dad is from Boston, so I was a Patriots fan my whole life. So I would say maybe Tom Brady would be a guy that I would emulate. His mental aspect and how he goes about everything. He was a big role model for me.

Q: You guys have obviously added a lot of receivers through the transfer portal. Is it too early to get a feel for what those guys can bring or have you already gotten a sense from them?

A: Yeah, I mean, shoot, our receiving corps here is great. It is going to make my job a lot easier -- all the quarterbacks’ jobs easier. Just get it near them, and those guys are special. So, its going to be a lot of fun.

Q: Do you have a sense that you are going to be able to compete for the starting job here this season?

A: It's too early to tell. I am just here to do what I do and just get better every day. Help the team out in any way. Just learn everything. I came here early just to really learn.

Q: As the son of a coach, you obviously know terminology and all that, but can you talk about the step up from high school to the college ranks?

A: Yeah, I would say that football is football. There’s no magic plays that they run, just the terminology is different. You have to adjust. You have to do a lot of stuff with the pass protections, it’s a lot more verbiage, but football is football at the end of the day.

Q: The NIL deal you have with the Boys and Girls Club of America was announced this week. Why was that an initiative that you were kind of excited about taking part in?

A: Yeah, that was a super cool one and I am super excited to be a part of that. It was cool, because the first time I ever played an organized football game was through Boys and Girls Club. It was Southwest Riverside County. We had a little flag football league that I did. That was a cool thing to sign with.

Q: As a son of a coach, what is it about film study that you learned from him that has helped you grow as a quarterback?

A: I have learned a lot from my dad. Just to look at the little things. You kind of break it down. One day you’ll just watch a certain play. Or if you’re trying to learn the defense, you just watch the defense as a whole. The alignment of everyone, to body language, the small things like that.

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