Florida State fall camp notebook: August 28

Update, 12:40 p.m.

Florida State Seminoles football head coach Mike Norvell, defensive back-turned-receiver Isaiah Bolden, offensive lineman Darius Washington and linebacker Kalen DeLoach spoke with the media today.

Norvell spoke first on the team’s practice (a physical one with a focus on special teams, a trend set to continue tomorrow) before delving into discussion surrounding his post last night in support of the social justice athletics movement sparked by the Milwaukee Bucks.

“I think it’s huge. We get one opportunity to go through this life. If you live a life without relationships, it’s not a life worth living. You have the ability to have a positive impact on others while trying to be the best version of yourself.”

On the message he’s trying to send to his team, he said, “Trying to remind our guys to not lose hope. Don’t lose sight of the important of your voice.”

“I told my players this morning: Be true to yourself. Be true to your heart. Be true to your actions.”

Bolden spoke on his switch to offense, saying that some of the defenders jokingly make fun of him but he’s been grateful for the investment and support of his team as he’s made the transition.

“I’ve always wanted the ball in my hands to showcase my speed and my abilities,” he said.

“I told coach whatever I can do to help the team, I’ll do. I didn’t really care about being at corner, I just cared about what the team needed.”

He also took the time to speak on the same message Norvell addressed, saying, “I want all athletes out there to know you have a voice. The main thing is spreading peace, no violence or anything.”

“Everybody on this staff will stand with their players, regardless of how anybody outside feels.”

Washington took the time to talk about his transition to the 2020 season after redshirting following an injury in 2019

“Working with Coach Atkins has been fun. We’re trying to get better, adsorb all the information that we can.”

On the new crop of freshmen linemen, he said, “They’re just improving, you just have to get adjusted to your surroundings. I feel like they’re adjusting well.”

As for DeLoach, he clarified where he’s been taking reps this year (STUD and nickel), while expounding on what he’s excited about in coach Adam Fuller’s defense.

“With this defense, we have linebackers that can play all over. We have a lot of speed at this position group. We have the technique to play all over.”

“We have a lot of dominant players on this defense. We are going to bring a lot of pressure.”

Florida State Seminoles football is back to the practice field after taking yesterday off.

When we last checked in with the team on Wednesday, Norvell was continuing to express optimism in the offense and its growth, who reportedly had struggled in last week’s scrimmage due to negative plays from self-inflicted mistakes. We also learned that cornerback Isaiah Bolden is now wide receiver Isaiah Bolden, with the “tall, fast, good with the ball in his hands” athlete already making plays in practice.

He said that, outside of taking his daughter to school, his main plans for the day were beginning game-planning for Georgia Tech and getter a closer look at whittling down the depth chart — something we shouldn’t likely get this week, with Norvell suggesting Saturday will be used as a chance to let tweeners on the verge of starting or making the two-deep prove themselves two weeks out from the season opener.

We expect to hear from Norvell and other members of the team starting around 11:30 a.m. We’ll be constantly updating the comments once it starts — you can follow along in the there, as well as on our Twitter and Instagram.

If you’ve got any questions on the team so far, go head and drop them below, and we’ll do our best to get to them.