FSU football: HC Mike Norvell talks return to practice, Wright injury

Florida State Seminoles football returned to the practice field today after a week off due to spring break.

Speaking on the return to the field to FSU’s new locker room to an injury update, here is everything head coach Mike Norvell said after, with full interview below:

On practice...

“It was good to get back out there coming off spring break. I thought we had a really solid work day. We’re still continuing to work and get back in the flow of things. We’re working to build positive habits and the consistency of that. There were some ups and downs today. Both sides of the ball showed some moments and flashes of what we want to see. There are some things we have to improve on and correct. I really thought there was some good work that was achieved. We had four practices in seven days (first week of spring practice) then a period of time off and you see some of those older habits show up. We have to get back in the groove and clean some of those things up. All-in-all I thought it was a great productive day.”

On Jordan Travis and the QB room...

“I’ve seen a lot of growth and development in his decision making process. We have a great deal of confidence in what we’re asking him to do. You see that starting to really emerge. We had some situational work and third down work and I like what I’m seeing from him. I like what I am seeing from Tate (Rodemaker). He had some good moments. AJ (Duffy) is still learning, you can see the potential and he’s getting confident with each day that goes by. I’m excited from what I am seeing from the QB room.”

On the newly unveiled locker room...

“It was great for our players and their joy. First I just want to thank all the boosters and everyone who’s contributed to making that a possibility for us. There is a lot of talk of what is coming for the football facility. But the investment in these guys now, it has been a great commitment. I’ve been really excited about that. We have great days ahead. For our players to see and have that experience. It’s a really great thing.”

On matchup nightmare Ja’Kai Douglas...

“He’s made the transition (from WR to RB), I like where we are with our running back room. To be able to move Ja’Kai out wide full time on the perimeter you see him growing and the receiver that he is. He’s has great hands but you see his vertical speed, playmaking ability downfield. He still has to clean up some of the fine details. I’m excited about his growth and consistency.”

On transfer defensive end Jared Verse and how he is fitting in...

“He is coming along you can that transition. He is building in his understanding of what we are asking him to do. The thing I like is you see the positive steps of the techniques and fundamentals. He is becoming a very disruptive player in a positive way for our defense. Derrick McLendon is really coming along as well, I really like the flashes I am seeing from him.”

On defensive end Leonard Warner...

“You can see the transition of his body. He is 255 pounds, he has always been a big linebacker. He has been through our strength and conditioning program. He has put him self in a great spot where he is able to utilize his athleticism and effort off the edge. Being injured for all of last year it really hurt him in some things when it came to techniques and understanding of overall fundamentals. He is getting a lot of that work now and is taking advantage of each day and taking real positive steps.”

On Winston Wright’s car crash...

“Winston was involved in an accident over spring break. He was in the passenger seat. It was not anything to their fault. We’re thankful with the severity of the accident that he is still here. It was something that was very scary. We’ve been in contact with him and he’s gonna be back to Tallahassee here this week. He will miss an extended period of time in the short term. We’ve been in constant contact, on Sunday we were on FaceTime with him showing him his locker. He is in good spirits and he’s gonna be back and rolling as soon as possible. We’ve gotten some positive reports but we’ve still gotta go through the process. Our thoughts and prayers have been with him this entire spring break and we’re appreciative of everyone who has kept him in their thoughts because he is a special young man.”

On bringing high school coaches to spring practice...

“It is important to us, we practice in the afternoon in the spring so we can have that availability. In the fall, we practice in the morning so we cannot have local coaches come by. Spring allows that. We had coaches and entire teams come out to practice to see how we do things. I like that, the understanding, comments and bouncing ideas off each other, I like being able to do that. We have great coaches here in the state and the region and it’s wonderful to be able to have those relationships because of the time we are able to spend together.”