Jimbo Fisher left wanting leadership after FSU’s first scrimmage

There’s little use trying to deny how important leadership is to a football team. After FSU’s first spring scrimmage on Monday, Jimbo Fisher felt there was plenty left to be desired in the leadership department.

“We need more of it. I’m not mad, just kind of the personality of this team.”” Fisher said when asked about the team’s leadership. “We’ve got a bunch of good guys. They just need to be more exuberant, more dominant personalities.”

An immediate step back in leadership was to be expected after losing a number of major leaders off of last year’s team including DeMarcus Walker, Travis Rudolph, and Dalvin Cook. However, Fisher’s frank words speak to a lack of contenders to fill those leadership roles at this moment.

“You can’t make guys (lead). They either have it in their personality or they don’t,” Fisher said. “There’s just not a lot of those vocal guys on this team.”

“But, there’s a lot of good players. They play hard, they play good. You don’t need a lot of guys to be leaders. You only need one or two.”

Injuries piling up

The Seminoles have suffered some injury woes of late. Some have been known for a period of time. Wideout George Campbell has had a few scheduled days of rest as he finalizes his recovery from a core muscle injury suffered last season. Carlos Becker suffered a concussion last week and has been dealing with that.

However, Monday’s scrimmage saw a pair of new injuries to starting running back Jacques Patrick and starting nose guard Derrick Nnadi.

“He twisted a knee,” Fisher said of Patrick’s injury. “On a drill, he didn’t get hit, just stuck his foot and it kind of stuck in the ground. Had an MRI and everything looked clean, he just said he felt sore today. He’ll go on Wednesday.“

Nnadi’s status remains unknown, though, after he was seen leaving the scrimmage on crutches.

Evaluating QBs

Monday’s scrimmage provided the first look this spring at quarterbacks in a real-game situation. For early enrollee Bailey Hockman, it was the first time he did so in the garnet and gold.

“He’s going to be a really good player. I like where he’s going,” Fisher said of Hockman’s play. “Got a lot of instincts, good arm strength, usually very accurate, does a good solid job.”

Hockman may not factor into this year’s quarterback competition, but hearing this praise of his game is promising for a player this quickly in a system as complicated as Florida State’s.

For returning starter Deondre Francois, Fisher’s words were a touch less positive with the coach simply saying that the sophomore’s play in the scrimmage was “very average.”

(Warning: The below video has brief adult language)

FSU’s practice on Wednesday will be closed to the media, so the next practice with media availability afterwards will be on Thursday.