With 15 practices in the book, Florida State is officially turning the page to the summer as spring camp wrapped on Wednesday.
“Most coaches will say they feel good about where they are coming out of spring, and I really do,” Norvell told local media. “We’ve got a team with a lot of work in front of it, but it’s one I’m excited about.”
The final two practices, following the Seminoles’ scrimmage last Saturday, were ones focused on locking in the team’s identity. Monday was a helmets-only practice, while
Wednesday saw the Seminoles in shells.
“We wanted to introduce some end-of-game situations, and I thought our guys did a really nice job with that,” he said. “You usually get a great sense of what a team’s going to be about when you have practices like this, because everybody gets to the last scrimmage … and then there’s a prime opportunity to take a deep breath. I thought these guys really pushed on Monday and today.”
“I saw some great growth. Even coming back off Saturday, seeing the offensive line as those guys continue to work and gel together, some of our IDs were cleaner, guys had a better understanding of a variety of looks and where they need to go. I’m excited about some of the playmakers I’m seeing on both sides.”
He said that, with no spring transfer window and the roster set in place for the season, it’s reassuring to know that the team that’s gone through the grind is the same one set to take the field come August.
“I know this is our team. So every message, every event, every circumstance these guys are going through, they’re getting to go through it together,” he said. “You’re not worried about who’s leaving, who’s coming, what that will look like. This is the team we get to do it with. Seeing the growth, seeing the way they handle situations, I think that’s huge.”
“Every spring, you’re creating experiences. Putting the ball on the goal line, putting the ball at minus two, trying different sequences, seeing guys respond to changes in the depth chart. ‘I want to be first.’ Well, today you’re not, what are you going to do with it?” Are you going to build on where you’re positioned, or are you going to go make your opportunity and prove to everybody where you need to be?
“We try to create that. But when guys really care about who they do it with, where they’re getting to do it, and what the big picture looks like for themselves, you’re going to have that resiliency show up. It’s necessary as you go through a season.”
The head coach spoke on the quarterback competition that’s unfolded between Ashton Daniels and Kevin Sperry, saying that while he’s “seen a lot of things that make me excited to make me close to making an announcement … we’ll decide when we want to announce something.”
“Ultimately, we’re going to come back in fall camp and somebody’s going to go first, and whoever’s not going first is going to be competing to beat that guy out. That’s where the game of football is: you compete with each other. I’ve seen that. I’m excited about it.”
“Ashton, for all the things you watch and see, getting a chance to coach somebody day to day, I’ve been really pleased with what he’s shown. His ability to live in the pocket and deliver the ball. He’s shown growth through the spring on vertical shots — he hit a couple in the scrimmage that were right where they needed to be, big plays that sparked big drives.”
“Kevin Sperry has just gotten better throughout the spring. We’ve talked about consistency with him, and I think he’s definitely growing up. There’s still his upside that encourages me. And obviously we have another quarterback, Malachi [Marshall], coming in this summer. He’s going to jump in and join the room, and I think it’s a really good room. Those guys have done a nice job working with each other. Not ready to announce something today, but I like what I’m seeing.”
Norvell expanded on Marshall in a follow-up, saying “he’s got superb arm talent, you can see him make every throw.”
“He was somebody who really jumped on our radar midway to the end of last year,” he said. “We were looking at our situation, knowing there could be some ebbs and flows to what a room looks like in today’s game. He’s a confident young man, but somebody you really feel that his team enjoys playing for and with. Being able to lead a team, national championship, player of the year — all the things he was able to accomplish. But he’s hungry and he’s excited to be here. He had other opportunities, other places he could have gone, but I think he really loved this place and how it can fit for him.”
“He has some flexibility within his clock of eligibility, but he’s coming in to compete. He knows that when you come in this summer, it’s a lot in a short period of time and he’s going to lack some of the overall reps that guys have gotten. But I told him: just come in and be all that you can be. He’s definitely excited for the opportunity.”
Norvell said that the team is exiting the spring healthy, with no injuries that occurred during spring expected to impact the fall for Florida State, something he’s just as pleased about as he is the effort seen from his squad in putting in the work.
“I’ve seen a lot of investment, extra work together to be a better football team and better players,” Norvell said. “I was really happy about that. I told them at the end of practice: I’m grateful for the work they put in this spring. I felt it. I felt the competition, I see the growth, and I see a team that’s willing to pour into each other.”
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