FSU Football: First spring practice brings fun, speed back to program

FSU football has officially kicked off the 2018 spring practice season – and there was a much different tone than in past years for the new squad.

If you happened to be driving by the FSU football practice fields on Wednesday or you were one of the lucky people who got a chance to be inside the fences, you noticed something very different about the Seminoles as they took part in the first organized spring practice under new head coach Willie Taggart – a team that was having fun with what they do.

Taggart and his staff ushered in the new #DoSomething era early in the morning with the spring opener that will culminate in the annual Garnet and Gold spring game on April 14th. The first session of the spring was one that showed plenty of work – but also moments of chill and people who remember that football is a game.

Some of the highlights include Deondre Francois getting on the field for the first time since tearing his knee up in the 2017 opener vs. Alabama.

Players and coaches made it very clear that the attitude has changed within the FSU football program, going from a Bud Kilmer like coaching structure that fed off a fear factor to a new staff that comes in with an attitude that you have to smile, dance and play looser as part of the new scheme (h/t Tallahassee Democrat).

"“It’s a family. You know, it doesn’t feel like a job anymore,” sophomore defensive tackle Marvin Wilson said. “It feels like something we love. You loved football in high school, now you love it again in college… It felt like just coming to work instead of coming in to play football.”“Celebrate when you do something,” Taggart said. “Coach asks you to do something and you do it the way he wants you to, celebrate, have fun with it. Just don’t get me a flag."

Music came blaring – everything from country to rap to classic rock to keep everyone happy – and players danced during water breaks. The last time you saw any kind of joy on the sidelines for FSU football (even when they were winning) would be when Odell Haggins was the interim coach for two games – which says plenty about the former coaching staff now in Texas except for Odell.

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Time will tell whether or not the Taggart game plan will bring the FSU football program some more national titles – but one thing is for sure: this year’s Seminoles team is already feeling more like the Florida State we know in a long time.