Florida State officially begins game week practice with Hurricane Idalia hanging in the balance: Notes, observations

What hurricane?

Even with Hurricane Idalia in the back of everyone’s mind in Tallahassee, it was business as usual for the Seminoles.

Head coach Mike Norvell brought his usual energy, but the sense of urgency was more significant in the tone of his voice. During his media availability, he said that he “liked what I saw today” and felt “ the work was where we needed it to be.” Florida State was in full pads today, an overall solid practice for the team.

Norvell believes his team will meet tomorrow and are “tracking the storm every hour,” but it should not cause a predicament in their preparation. As always, a few themes and players stood out above the rest.

Alex Mastromanno

Punter love!

Special teams are usually only talked about when something goes wrong, but the Australian has been the model of consistency throughout camp. He booted three gorgeous 50-yard end-over-end kicks today with a hang time of over five seconds on all of them. As the saying goes, no news is good news, and that phrase describes the punting throughout camp. Mastromanno provides a luxury to the Seminole special teams.

Only some college teams get reliable punter play — and Florida State secured that for another year.

Strength and Conditioning

Worshipping tour of duty around the Florida State facility is commonplace. The spring workout plans by Coach Storms plant the seeds of strength to allow the team to flourish in the fall. These workouts transcend the Seminoles' physical potential. Fabien Lovett commented on his physique, saying he is “more run through your face strong” and “guys are getting stronger every year. Furthermore, with the depth chart being released, seeing the strength staff's impact is straightforward. Robert Scott went from 332 pounds on the week one depth chart last year to 313 this year. Plenty more examples are seen all over. Fabien Lovett called his team “the hardest working group in the country.”

It takes a special conditioning clinic to make athletes physically ready for the grueling parts of camp and game week. When the fourth quarter of games comes, Florida State will look as fresh as the first.

Tackling

The most fundamental part of the game became the essential part of defensive drills today. Tackling usually takes teams a while to develop throughout the year. The Seminoles want to be ahead of the curve. Tackling may decide the game on Sunday night. Whether or not the Seminoles can put Jaylen Daniels on his back the first time and keep the explosive plays to a minimum ranks high on the defense list of what they need to do to be successful. Tatum Bethune stood out during these drills. His ability to diagnose the play quickly and finish tackles explains why he leads the defense. He will be a crucial cog in stopping the run throughout the year, but today’s practice emphasizes he is ready for the challenge.

Florida State is expected to practice on a closed media day tomorrow, followed by media attendance on Thursday. As always, the weather may hinder the schedule, so check back for updates!

Head Coach Mike Norvell

Video courtesy of Noles247