Takeaways from FSU football coach Mike Norvell press conference ahead of first spring practice
"New" is a theme for Florida State football this season.
A new look to Doak Campbell Stadium, new faces on the roster and a new starting quarterback.
But one thing that hasn't changed, Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell and his coaching staff.
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Retaining the 2023 coaching staff that helped lead the Seminoles to an undefeated regular season and the program's first ACC championship since 2014 is big for continuity.
Addressing the media at Florida State's annual coaches luncheon, Norvell expressed his excitement about retaining his staff and the new season as the Seminoles prepare for the first of 15 spring practices, starting Tuesday and leading up to the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20.
"We've got some tremendous, tremendous coaches and tremendous leaders," Norvell said. "That's exciting for me because guys believe in what we're doing. They see growth, they see personal growth, personal development, and we're all pushing in that same direction together."
Here are our takeaways from the luncheon.
New additions are settling in, ready to make an impact for FSU football
Headlined by the arrival of former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, the Seminoles' retooled roster brings plenty of fresh faces into the program.
Norvell said portal additions like Uiagalelei, defensive back Earl Little Jr., edge Marvin Jones Jr., wide receivers Malik Benson and Jalen Brown, among others, have embraced their roles since arriving in Tallahassee in the winter.
With a large amount of turnover in the squad, Norvell feels the group is already well-connected and ready to compete despite only being together for a short time. Getting that immediate buy-in comes down to finding the right fit for the program.
"They're great young men. We talk all the time about finding the right fit for Florida State and we want to go and get guys who have talent, playmaking ability, the skill set, you obviously want to have that," Norvell said. "But making sure that you have guys that care about others, that want to be a part of this program more than just putting on the jersey and wanting to build their relationships and be able to make a positive impact for those around them."
"I think that's big."
Alongside the portal, the Seminoles brought in a top 10 overall recruiting class according to 247Sports, and Norvell said the 13 early enrollee freshmen are making an impact early on.
Naming players like defensive backs Charles Lester III and Jamari Howard, Norvell feels the development and impact of the high school recruits should garner the same attention as the Seminoles portal additions.
"I guess the spotlight is put on it what it is a transfer, but it's the same way for a high school player that comes in," Norvell said. "All the newcomers that joined and graduated early, now they're putting their mark on this program. You see the heart that they bring, you see the relationships that they're starting to form, and it's exciting."
A peek into the Seminoles' rebuilt offense
Florida State's offense is going to look a little different this season.
Gone are Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, key contributors to the Seminoles offense that averaged just over 34 points per game last season.
All of them are off to the NFL and new faces have come into the program.
With the arrival of Uiagalelei comes a different offensive system compared to the one built for Travis, but Norvell said his team is used to evolving offensive schemes, and spring practice will allow for improvements on the changing game plan.
"We were a little bit different last year than what we were two years ago, just tying in different skill sets of players that we had, and that was even with the same quarterback," Norvell said. "So you always look to grow and implement different elements towards their games. We'll get into the spring and there's some things that we know we want to continue to improve upon."
Bringing in speed at receiver with Benson and Brown, and talented freshmen like Camdon Frier, BJ Gibson, and Lawayne McCoy was a priority.
Norvell thinks the group can help open the playbook and allow a guy like Uiagalelei to showcase his ability at quarterback.
"We want to make sure that we're capitalizing on stretching the field vertically. I feel like what we do horizontally is pretty good, but we definitely want to see that element grow in our offense," Norvell said. "The guys that we brought in, I haven't been disappointed for eight weeks in just watching guys move and run. Now it's time to go out there and see how we can continue to build upon that through the course of practice."
Norvell is excited about the additions from the transfer portal and recruiting class, along with guys like Destyn Hill and Ja'Khai Douglas returning.
"I think it's a talented room and it's one that there's gonna be a ton of competition in," Norvell said. "We're looking forward to seeing the cream kind of rise to the top."
Patrick Payton, Darrell Jackson growing as leaders
Heading into spring practices, Norvell said he wants to see the returning defensive players' grow in leadership positions.
Naming returning players like Shyheim Brown, Patrick Payton, DJ Lundy,Azareye'h Thomas, Fentrell Cypress II,Joshua Farmer and Darrell Jackson, Norvell is ready to see that group embrace a new role.
"It's a group that's played a lot of football, but now they're in a little bit different role. They're pushing to the front," Norvell said. "They're trying to take that next step when it comes to the leadership and that capacity of their role, and we see them getting better, and that's something that I've been pleased with."
Both Payton and Jackson drew praise from Norvell for adding weight in the offseason, with Payton adding nearly 15 pounds according to Norvell.
With Jared Verse and Braden Fiske preparing for the draft, Norvell said he's excited to see the continuing evolution of the defensive line group in the spring and how they compete.
"I'm looking forward to seeing some of those younger defensive linemen and how they're going to rise up and compete with the guys that we have that might have a little bit more experience out there on the field and take those next steps," Norvell said.
Florida State football spring practice schedule
March 19
March 21
March 23
March 26
March 28 (scrimmage)
March 26
March 28 (scrimmage)
April 2
April 4
April 6
April 9
April 11
April 12
April 16
April 18
April 20 (Spring Showcase)
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Takeaways from FSU football coach Mike Norvell press conference
