“A good baseline of where we are:” Mike Norvell, FSU coordinators offer insight into Seminoles’ first scrimmage

After spending the early part of the practice week in Jacksonville, the Florida State Seminoles made their way back to Tallahassee to take part in the team’s first fall scrimmage.

With the start of the season now less than three weeks away, FSU is starting to up the intensity with an elevated sense of urgency ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the LSU Tigers.

Head coach Mike Norvell took to the mic after the Seminoles’ scrimmage, noting the team’s impressive defensive performance to start and offering his compliments to new tight end Jaheim Bell on his performance:

Some quotes:

Opening statement:

“Good scrimmage tonight, got probably a little over 100 plays, brought [in] lot of different guys [and] personnel groupings.

Jaheim Bell had a really, really impressive sequence, making guys miss — you’ve seen it on film, but to be able to see him live in person was definitely impressive.

There were some things that were really good and some things that obviously we’ll have to clean up, but [tonight] kind of gives a good baseline of where we are at this moment.

The thing that we’re looking for is consistency — [we’ve got a] lot of talented players, newcomers, guys that are pushing for spots and opportunities but we’ve got to see the consistency in the execution.

All in all it was a good day. I was really proud of the defense, they got down to the one-yard line and had a great fourth-down stand.”

On freshman quarterback Brock Glenn:

“He is a very impressive freshman. The moment never seems too big for him. I thought he handled the good and responded [well] to the negative plays. He is always listening trying to learn and trying to apply. He definitely does not act like a freshman. Just his presence out there is really good“

On transfer tight end Kyle Morlock:

“I thought Kyle had a great night tonight and did some good things for us. I think he is gonna be a really great weapon for us.”

On the running back room:

“I feel really good about that running back room. We’ve got five guys that I feel are very capable. I feel good about that running back room, I thought they showed up well.”

Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins addressed the media after Norvell, offering insight into how his units performed:

Some quotes:

On the offensive line unit and the competition in the group:

“We got some good competition going. But the good thing is we're seeing a lot of guys getting reps. Overall I think we got some good rotations. we have some good battles going on.”

On the young quarterbacks' performance:

“You saw some guys pick up some first downs and deal with situations well. Overall I believe it was a solid performance. That next step is the ownership of the offense, I wanna see that next step taken. As coaches, we can’t babysit and hold their hands anymore.”

On Keon Coleman’s approach:

“He is locked in, he loves the game. He loves it all the way around. He is focused, he knows what he wants to do when his mind is made up.“

On Caziah Holmes progress:

“I saw him progress as he went. He is a tough runner and has been a tough back for us in short-yardage situations. I have been proud of his focus and his approach. We still have to fix the consistency, but that will come as we continue to up his rep counts.“

Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller spoke highly of the defense's first live action of the fall, saying “I think our depth is showing up in camp. I think we have evaluated and recruited very well. I think we have developed a lot of depth on both sides of the ball.“

Some other quotes:

On a defensive stop on the goalline:

“I really like our identity down there. It takes a lot of guts when you get down there. We’ve started to draw those lines.“

On Josh Farmer in his third year:

“This is the year for Josh. Usually that third year for defensive tackles. This is the year that Josh takes that step. He has high expectations for himself. He’s going to be a critical piece because we’ve got to be absolutely dominant inside for us to be the defense we want to be.”

On the impact of Braden Fiske:

“Braden is the real deal. He’s got that intensity and drive to be better, he is a super selfless player. He is going to have a large role in this defense. He’ll be a problem for people on third downs and a problem in the run game. He is a great teammate.“

And finally, special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach John Papuchis spoke on the performance of his specialists — both kicking and returning — as well as how some of the young defensive players are developing:

On the kicking competition:

“I think we have talented specialists, that is a major focus for us being consistent in everything we do. The competition has been good, both of them have had really good days and good work. Overall we just have to be a consistent unit.“

On Keon Coleman’s return game:

“There is just such a natural tracking of the ball. He is so confident, he wants it, he wants the ball. We do not have a lot of returning experience on this team. He just exudes confidence and a demeanor that is right for it. He is going to be a handful for people to tackle.“

On Byron Turner’s progress:

“A night like tonight can raise his confidence. His teammates came up and made comments about how well he is playing. Having your peers recognize you played well, it boosts his confidence. He is going to be exactly where he needs to be when we call his name this fall.“