FSU football has gone through several weeks of spring camp and has one week left before camp concludes. Unfortunately, there will not be a Seminole Spring Showcase (Spring Game) to conclude things like usual, so fans will go into the summer without seeing the team in any format(not that they'd see much if they had a spring game anyway).
Nevertheless, we've gathered some narratives from coaching and player interviews and details from the two situational scrimmages. I think it's safe to say this team will play with more physicality. There will be an emphasis on running the ball on offense, and the tight ends will be a strength. The defense should be better overall.
However, injuries have impacted spring camp, with several guys on both sides of the ball missing some time. Here are the biggest questions as FSU heads into the final week of spring camp:
- How good will the offense line be?
- What does FSU have at wide receiver?
- How good is the FSU secondary?
- How good will the FSU pass rush be?
Some FSU offensive linemen who will be counted on this year have missed time this spring, and you could tell offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was frustrated by it. It's hard to gauge how good the running game will be because of it. It also affects how we must look at the defensive line against the run. It sounds like a few guys started to work back in last week, so this final week could provide some important practice reps for the group.
We know Duce Robinson is a guy, but he's been limited over the past few weeks. Squirrel White has been limited most of spring camp but started working back into things last week. Freshman Jayvon Boggs has impressed, but freshmen rarely become guys you can count on for production. Lawayne McCoy is hurt. Hykeem Williams will miss the final week of spring camp with an injury, and Elijah Moore has flashed but is inconsistent. Will any new guys like Jordan Scott step up over the final week?
FSU veteran safety Shyheim Brown has missed spring camp. Earl Little Jr. has emerged as a potential playmaker there. FSU has plenty of talent but not a ton of experience in the backend. Since most of FSU's top receivers have been missing, it's hard to gauge how good or bad the secondary is.
They are also learning a new scheme, so I'm curious to see how much they have improved overall.
FSU had zero pass rush last season, and it affected the secondary big time. Tony White's defenses don't depend solely on the defensive ends to generate a pass rush. The ends, tackles, linebackers, and defensive backs can get in on the fun. However, I'm curious to see how well Tony White coordinates the blitzes from different positions. This final week should provide lots of reps to hone in on different aspects of the defense.
That was something Adam Fuller struggled with, and the blitzes were either telegraphed or took too long to develop.
I think this team made some progress in the spring, but they'll probably need to hit the spring transfer portal for a few more guys at key positions. The hope is the guys who have been hurt can get healthy over the summer so they can participate in fall camps before the season begins.