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FSU football practice takeaways: These young players impressed during 'developmental' day
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- FSU football practice takeaways: These young players impressed during 'developmental' day
Florida State football held its first bye week practice availability Tuesday morning.
The Seminoles are coming off a 29-13 loss to Clemson (4-1) Saturday, tumbling to 1-5 this season and 1-4 in the ACC.
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Brock Glenn made his first start of the season against the Tigers, replacing injured DJ Uiagalelei . Glenn was the Seminoles ' highest-graded player, according to Pro Football Focus. He completed 23-of-41 passes for 228 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
"I thought he did a good job," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. "There are some things early, some opportunities that you'd love us to be able to connect on. But I thought his response over the course of the game was really good."
It wasn't the cleanest day for the veteran skill position players, as drops and miscommunications were again present. However, some young players stepped up and looked keen on fighting for an opportunity.
Here are four takeaways from FSU's Tuesday bye-week practice.
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Brock Glenn , Luke Kroemenhoek both make an impression despite more drops from receivers
Florida State football players participate in the eighth practice of fall camp on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024
Tuesday's practice had a focus on some of the younger players on the roster, with the first hour of practice involving a heavy dose of work for Luke Kromenhoek .
In those periods he looked incredibly sharp, zipping passes around the field to his wide receivers and tight ends. There were multiple stretches during practice where he rattled off three to five completions in a row. He had a good connection with fellow true freshmen Elijah Moore and Amaree Williams during the early periods.
His momentum carried over to the full team periods, taking strong reps in passing drills and during 11-on-11 periods. He uncorked a few deep shots that drew a strong reaction from players and coaches.
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Glenn joined the party with the starters later in the day. He didn't have the eye-popping day that Kromenhoek had, but he was solid in his efforts.
He made a lot of good throws and reads, but as has been the case this season, he was let down with drops and poor ball security from his receivers.
There were too many moments again where open receivers or tight ends lost focus and dropped the football. Even at times when they hung on, there were too many times where a defensive back was able to punch or rip the ball loose, leaving Glenn and Kromenhoek with nothing after good throws.
Glenn did a good job moving out of the pocket when he faced pressure.
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There were some good throws made that were caught. He connected well a couple of times with Hykeem Williams , and there was a quickness to Glenn's decisions that seemed a bit sharper than weeks prior.
Outside of those two, Trever Jackson launched a long pass downfield to Mario Suarez for one of the more impressive passes of the day in the developmental period.
Young skill position players shine in "developmental" period
Apr 20, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles tight end Landen Thomas (17) runs with the ball during the Spring Showcase at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.
During the developmental period, there were a few young skill-position players who made an impression.
Moore, Williams, Lawayne McCoy, Landen Thomas and BJ Gibson all showed up with some really impressive moments. Out of the five, four are listed on the depth chart, and despite Gibson not being listed he did play a few snaps vs. Clemson on Saturday.
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Moore showcased his athleticism with some highlight reel grabs, going over the back of one defender for a catch. He made quick cuts and decisions when tracking the football and was able to hold on in some really tight coverages.
Thomas and Williams carried over the momentum they had from the last two games and looked incredibly sharp. Thomas led the team in receiving with 80 yards vs. Clemson, a week after his first career catch landed him a touchdown. Williams had one catch for a 13-yard touchdown against the Tigers and he looked strong on Tuesday.
He made two impressive over-the-shoulder catches that drew nice reactions from the coaches and players.
McCoy and Gibson were solid, making good catches and importantly getting a few extra yards on plays with some quick-footed moves in the open field.
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Defensive backs step up
FSU football players participate in fall practice as the team prepares for Georgia Tech at the Albert J Dunlap training center on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024.
While the ball security from the receivers was poor, the defensive backs did a good job disrupting passing lanes and forcing the ball loose.
A couple of plays stood out. The first was a punch that jarred the ball loose from Brian Courtney's hands. Just moments later he would reach around a receiver and swat a ball away before a catch could be made.
In the developmental period, Cai Bates and Ricky Knight had some good moments. Bates anticipated a screen well and was in the right place to make an interception on that play. He and Knight both did a good job with their assignments, with Knight even knocking a few balls away.
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Charles Lester, Azareye'h Thomas, Fentrell Cypress and KJ Kirkland all came up with some solid plays throughout the course of practice.
Opportunity available during the bye week
Norvell said there are opportunities available for players looking to get more playtime. He emphasized that he wants to see consistency from those players trying to see the field.
"There is not a player on this team I'm going to put on the field to just make them feel good," Norvell said. "It's because I believe that they can go out there and be able to execute that."
Norvell mentioned Gibson, Moore and Micahi Danzy as two players who have made strides. He said with Moore he wanted to see more consistency in him and that in Tuesday's practice, Moore showed those improvements.
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"There are some elements of his game that we have to see him go and be able to perform at on a more consistent basis," Norvell said. "Today I saw it showing up. It's just work."
"I am excited about what I am seeing from a lot of these young guys."
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's young players show out in bye week practice | Takeaways
