Florida State football practice updates, notes: August 14

After the first week of fall camp, some things can be gleaned while other questions arise.

Quarterbacks, wide receivers, offensive line— the question marks are there but the stars did start to brighten in the last week before tonight's scrimmage. As expected, the defense has been dominant and that is a good thing. These first few practices are geared towards putting the offense in the worst possible situations, stressing an offensive line that is standing its ground respectively.

The story might have changed when the Florida State Seminoles traveled to the University of North Florida to practice in unfamiliar territory and simulate an on the road experience for the upcoming season.

Speedy running backs Lawrence Toafili and Treshaun Ward impressed with their abilities to break outside. Quarterback Jordan Travis has shown a huge leap in his game but still needs to work on his mechanics to gain more control over his throws and not overshoot his targets.

One of the biggest improvements out of the wide receiver room is Keyshawn Helton. Playing off a serious injury last year, he and other wideouts like Andrew Parchment and Malik McClain continue to show flashes along with the stout freshman Joshua Burrell.

The story of talented walk-on Treshaun Ward is still be being told, he has been a consistent presence in an offense “Built for Playmakers.”

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive back Meiko Dotson locked everything down in 11 on 11’s this weekend in Jacksonville. Defensive back Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was always in the right place supporting the run and, defensive back Brendan Gant plays physically, throwing potential wide receivers off their routes, messing up the timing and consistency of passes.

Others to note from this weekend's practices are defensive back Jadarius Green-McKnight, defensive back Hunter Washington, and Shyheim Brown’s ability to cover distance quickly.

But what matters now is that the pads are on! With a virtual press conference to follow, check back here for updates from interviews following the scrimmage.