Florida State Football’s spring camp came to an abrupt end, as the Seminoles’ final two scheduled practices were canceled in the wake of the campus shooting on April 17. Even if the Seminoles didn’t get to take part in their final unpadded practice and third and final scrimmage, there was still plenty to learn from things the Osceola saw, heard, and were told over the 13 practices. Here’s a look at three things we learned.
The athleticism in the quarterback room is real.
Early in Mike Norvell’s FSU tenure, the quarterback run game was a big part of the offense. Jordan Travis led the team in rushing in 2020 and used his legs frequently over Norvell’s first three seasons, amassing 1,511 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. However, that changed dramatically the last few seasons. Travis ran less in 2023, with 176 yards and seven touchdowns. Then in 2024, FSU’s three quarterbacks — DJ Uiagalelei, Brock Glenn, and Luke Kromenhoek — combined for 202 rushing yards and no touchdowns.
Enter offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, whose offense relies at times upon athletic quarterbacks…
So, there will be a rebuild of sorts to the QB room, which includes Glenn, who is the only returning player in the room, Boston College transfer Tommy Castellanos (1,307 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns the last two seasons) and Kevin Sperry, a freshman who entered ahead of spring camp.
From what we saw in the scrimmage that was open to the media and heard from the coaches, the QB running ability is there in a big way this year. What Castellanos lacks in size he more than makes up for in agility. Glenn believes this offense is a better fit for his skill set. Sperry also turned heads with his speed as well as his twitchiness carrying the ball.
Questions still linger about the passing game.
We entered spring with plenty of questions about FSU’s wide receiver room. Transfer additions Duce Robinson and Squirrel White were productive at their prior schools, but otherwise, the position group still lacked many proven players. Unfortunately, that group was somewhat ravaged by injuries this spring. White missed much of spring with an injury suffered last season, Robinson picked up an injury that limited him for the second half of spring. Lawayne McCoy suffered an injury in FSU’s first practice, which cost him a couple weeks. The good news is that none of the injuries are expected to carry over into the season, but injuries prevented that group from taking the strides the coaching staff hoped to see.
After spring there were three departures from the team. JUCO transfer Jordan Scott and former five-star recruit Hykeem Williams have transferred out of the program while second-year LSU transfer Jalen Brown was dismissed.
As a result of those losses, FSU added former North Carolina receiver Gavin Blackwell, who had 448 receiving yards on 31 receptions in three seasons.
One name that stood out was true freshman Jayvan Boggs, who was praised for his maturity and cited as a bright spot by Norvell.
Defensive players seem to be taking well to Tony White’s scheme.
While there’s been a slight change in FSU’s offense this offseason, the bigger shift is on the defensive side of the ball. New defensive coordinator Tony White brings a significant change from the 4-2-5 defense FSU largely ran the last few seasons to a multiple 3-3-5 defense, which changed the responsibilities of quite a few players. That change didn’t seem to rattle any of the players however, as the defense appeared to adapt to the scheme and the intense physicality White demands.
Getting Darrell Jackson back was a big deal for the defensive line, and it sounds like he’s been a leader this offseason. So has Nebraska DL transfer James Williams, who brought some much-needed familiarity with the scheme. Western Kentucky DL transfer Deante McCray, who also played in a 3-3-5 scheme, has also drawn rave reviews and impressed on a consistent basis. A linebacker, Memphis transfer Elijah Herring made at least one impressive play in each of FSU’s two scrimmages while returning linebackers Justin Cryer and Omar Graham Jr. adapted well to new roles.
In the secondary, a move away from press man coverage created more opportunities for takeaways, something that Ja’Bril Rawls and others took advantage of. While the new-look defense will still have to prove it when it matters this fall, the news around that side of the ball was largely quite promising. 
Curt Weiler
The Osceola
