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The Seminoles had a ton of energy on Thursday ahead of the spring showcase.
Florida State wrapped up its last real practice of spring camp on Thursday evening with a competitive session that lasted a little over two hours. It was evident from the jump that there was more juice than normal with the Seminoles only a few days away from the annual Garnet & Gold Spring Showcase inside Doak Campbell Stadium.
The practice wasn’t necessarily one of the sharpest we’ve seen this spring but there was a ton of energy. That led to plenty of fun sequences from both sides of the ball.
READ MORE: FSU Football To Be Without Two Scholarship Quarterbacks For Spring Showcase
NoleGameday was in attendance for the entire practice and down below are some observations from the 13th day of the spring.
— Plenty of former Seminoles such as Jordan Travis, Braden Fiske, D’Mitri Emmanuel, Tatum Bethune and Amari Gainer were roaming the sidelines.
OFFENSE:
— One of the highlights of the day came on a beautiful connection between DJ Uiagalelei and Lawrance Toafili where both players executed their assignments seamlessly. Toafili ran a great route to create space on a linebacker and Uiagalelei hit him in stride for a massive play. Mike Norvell was fired up afterward, running over to celebrate with the duo.
— Malik Benson continues to do Malik Benson things. His combination of speed and hands is going to make him tough to keep off the field in 2024.
— It feels like Ja’Khi Douglas is beginning to develop into a safety blanket of sorts for Uiagalele. He’s just always in the right spot and more often than not, makes a play. The pair connected multiple times in 7-on-7 and team drills.
— Hykeem Williams pulled off a nasty move at the line of scrimmage to leave a defensive back in the dust for another easy grab over the middle. He’s staked his claim for an increasing role on offense with his performance over the past few weeks.
— Jalen Brown got a good release on Cai Bates at the snap and fought through pass interference to haul in a deep ball in 1-on-1’s.
— Kyle Morlock made one of the tougher catches of practice with a vertical grab on the sidelines in 1-on-1’s. That was the beginning of a series of highlights for the tight end room on Thursday.
— Landen Thomas has flashed at times this spring and it was his strength that caught eyes in his latest outing. Thomas caught a pass over the middle and worked his way up the sideline before running over Davonte Brown while going out of bounds. Brown tried to come in and lay a big hit but he ended up taking the worst of the collision. The transfer safety responded by nearly picking off a throw later in practice.
— Jackson West added to the display of power after shaking off Shyheim Brown on a throw over the middle and cutting upfield for a big gain.
DEFENSE:
— True freshman Charles Lester III ended up with an interception after tracking a pass that bounced off a tight end’s hands. He capitalized on the mistake and took it back the other way with a host of defenders mobbing him to celebrate.
— It was another good practice for Azareye’h Thomas, who ended up with an interception in 1-on-1’s. He locked down Malik Benson later in the day and made sure to bring out the seatbelt celebration while letting the wide receiver know about it after the play.
— Justin Cryer has been stacking together good days as of late. He broke up a pass intended for Caziah Holmes after sticking with the running back on a short route and earned a sack while tracking Trever Jackson out of the pocket. Linebackers coach Randy Shannon showed the most emotion I’ve ever seen after one of Cryer’s reps against the offensive line where he exploded through the hole.
— KJ Kirkland got his hand on a pass after using his long frame to reach in front of the intended target.
— Omar Graham Jr. dealt with a foot injury earlier this offseason but he seems to be moving really well again. Graham Jr. had tight coverage on Brian Courtney to prevent a completion downfield before reading a screen and taking down the running back as the ball arrived.
— Edwin Joseph earned some praise after covering Malik Benson on a deep route and deflecting a pass in the end zone. Earl Little Jr. rose to the occasion a few plays later by nearly picking off a hail mary attempt to end an offensive possession and give the defense a win in the drill.
READ MORE: Former FSU Football DL Enters NCAA Transfer Portal After Four Months At Georgia Tech
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