Brock Glenn, Jaheim Bell among offensive standouts for first FSU football fall scrimmage

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Brock Glenn, Jaheim Bell among offensive standouts for first FSU football fall scrimmage

Ehsan Kassim, Tallahassee Democrat · Tallahassee Democrat

Tue, Aug 15, 2023 ·

6 min read

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Florida State football held its first scrimmage of fall camp ahead of the 2023 season Sunday evening.

The Seminoles have had eight practices in the first two weeks of camp and started going in full uniforms Thursday in Jacksonville are beginning preparations for the season opener against LSU on Sept. 3 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando .

While the scrimmage - the ninth official practice - was closed to the media, head coach Mike Norvell and coordinators spoke to the local media following the scrimmage via a Zoom Conference video call.

Norvell said the team ran about 100 plays, with the defense ahead of the offense, as is expected to be early on in the season.

Here are a few takeaways about the FSU offense and special teams from the first fall camp scrimmage from what Norvell, offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins and special teams coordinator John Papuchis said.

The Florida State Seminoles football team has hit the field and kicked off the first practice of the fall season on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.

Jaheim Bell and Kyle Morlock growing

The Seminoles overhauled their tight end room this past offseason with incumbent start Camren McDonald graduating.

While Markeston Douglas , who came on at the end of last season is still a viable threat, new-coming transfers Jaheim Bell ( South Carolina ) and Kyle Morlock (Shorter) continue to make their presence felt in a deep room.

According to the coaches, Bell had a strong sequence of plays, forcing missed tackles and providing the defense as a nuisance.

"Jaheim's a competitor," Atkins said. "We've seen it out there, he's tough to tackle. He's a physical kid. Jahiem will be fine. He wanted to go live too. He has a toughness about him. It was good to see it show up today."

Morlock has come on the last couple of practices, transitioning from playing at the DII level to Power 5 football with the Seminoles.

"I thought Kyle had a great night tonight, made some tough catches, really did some good things for us," Norvell said. "I think he's going to be a great weapon."

Brock Glenn continues to display maturity

Freshman Brock Glenn was impressive during the spring, showcasing maturity that went beyond a normal freshman. Getting in as an early enrollee continues to benefit the signal caller from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis.

Glenn's impressive work has put him squarely in the competition for the backup position behind Heisman Trophy candidate Jordan Travis.

"He's a very impressive freshman," Norvell said. "His maturity, I know we talked about it in the spring, the moment never seems too big for him. He was live for some series tonight and did some good things. I thought he handled the good and responded to the negative plays because he had some of those, too. He's always listening, always trying to learn, trying to apply. He's an instinctual player.

"I thought he did a great job throughout the course of the evening. Like I said, I've got to go back and watch all of it to give you a full breakdown of it, but he definitely doesn't act like a freshman. From what we thought we were getting, he's probably further along.

"We knew we were getting a really good quarterback, but just his mental maturity and the way that he grasps so many things offensively and just his presence out there is really good."

The Florida State Seminoles football team hit the field for its fourth practice of the fall season on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023.

The other running backs

When it comes to the running backs for FSU, incumbent start Trey Benson and receiving threat Lawrance Toafili are the two go-to options.

Benson finished his first season with FSU just 10 yards short of 1,000 yards and Toafili is a crisp route runner out of the backfield. However, with the transfer of Treshaun Ward to Kansas State, there is an opening for carries for a Norvell offense that likes to split up the workload.

As a result, Norvell and his staff took a deeper look at the other backs, giving Benson and Toafili a lighter day.

"They were limited in their rep count because of just their overall experience," Norvell said. "But I thought Rodney Hill did some really good things. Caziah Holmes had a couple of really big plays. He got an open field, you see his speed, his toughness, and his physicality. He caught the ball out of the backfield as well. I thought he really showed up well today.

" CJ Campbell had a couple of nice plays as well. I feel good about that running back room. We've got five guys that I feel are very, very capable, bringing along.

" Samuel Singleton , he was limited tonight. Got to get him back rolling and be able to keep evaluating to see where he's going to be. A very talented young man. I feel good about that running back room and we wanted to get them some good work tonight and I thought they showed up well."

Holmes, who transferred to FSU last season from Penn State and then sat out due to transfer rules, has been one of the more impressive players early in camp.

He has made plays throughout camp and has caught the eyes of his coaches.

"I saw him progressing as we went," Atkins said. "There was one run where the whole opened up and he got tripped up and got five (yards). The decision he made was that wasn't going to happen again. There was not another run where he went backward, it was always forward and advancing the ball, and then the big plays started showing up."

Sorting the offensive line

FSU's offensive line returns players with a combined 206 starts at the college level, according to Phill Steele, Louisville with 150 is the next closest team.

The Seminoles boast a variety of players who could start across different college programs.

With an embarrassment of riches at the position, the competition has been ongoing during the fall camp.

"We have some good competition but the good thing about it is everyone is getting reps," Atkins said. "We are really starting to see guys go from wide-eyed to tight-eyed, focusing on seeing edge pressures, seeing movements, and understanding situations.

"That'll start coming because once the installations slow down, you get to sharpen those tools. Overall, I think we have some good rotations and some good work. So, it'll be interesting to see."

Florida State Seminoles place kicker Ryan Fitzgerald (88) kicks for an extra point. The Florida Gators lead the Florida State Seminoles 24-21 at the half at Doak Campbell Stadium on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022.

Kicking competition between Tyler Keltner and Ryan Fitzgerald

Incumbent starting kicker Ryan Fitzgerald and ETSU transfer and former Chiles High standout Tyler Keltner remain in a close kicking competition.

Norvell and Papuchis said it was a solid day for the kickers in the first scrimmage. Norvell noted both kickers made all their kicks, minus a 50-plus yard attempt. He did not specify who missed the kick.

Papuchis said he expects to competition to linger deep into camp.

"It's going to come down to the consistency of work," Papuchis said. "We are going to look at the big picture of all of it, not just one individual practice or one individual scrimmage. But the body of work that they put in through all fall camp and even going back to spring practice."

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Jaheim Bell, Brock Glenn offensive standouts scrimmage

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