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FSU football's Tour of Duty has had lasting impact on players at next level
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- FSU football's Tour of Duty has had lasting impact on players at next level
Florida State football wrapped up its final day of preseason conditioning workouts, better known as Tour of Duty, on Thursday.
The high-intensity, high-interval workouts, starting at 6 a.m. and running for about an hour, push FSU football veterans, freshmen and transfers to their limits.
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All throughout the offseason and well into the regular season, FSU players have talked about how hard Tour of Duty is, but how it's benefitted them when the season comes around.
FSU head coach Mike Norvell said that former players are still talking to him about Tour of Duty and what it has done for them in the long run.
"Where that shows up, I've got guys that are three years out of the program that are still calling and talking about Tour of Duty," Norvell said. "When you have that type of impact, the things that can build confidence when they're in the National Football League when they're at the all-star games - they know they're built a little bit different and that's what we're pushing to continue to establish."
Impressing at NFL Combine
Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske (DL07) works out during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
That statement more than proved itself this past weekend at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis , where a handful of FSU players clocked impressive 40-yard dash times.
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Defensive back Jarrian Jones had the fastest time among FSU players at 4.38 seconds. Running back Trey Benson ran a close 4.39 seconds and defensive end Jared Verse clocked in at 4.58 seconds.
Impressively, defensive lineman Braden Fiske ran the fastest time among all defensive tackles at the combine, coming in at 4.78 seconds. He was the only defensive tackle to run a sub-4.80 second 40 dash.
Norvell said FSU's success at the combine represents just how hard the staff pushes players to develop and the commitment they've shown.
"We push them extremely hard to develop guys mentally and what they do," Norvell said. "But you see that physical development, you see that explosiveness, the power, the speed, change of direction. It just puts them in the best position for the opportunity at the next level."
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"I'm definitely proud of the work they put in when they were here, how they prepared for it, and they put on a show when they got there."
FSU strength and development coach Josh Storms, who has played a key role in the success of Tour of Duty, talked about how much of an accomplishment it was not just to send 12 players to the combine, but to have them perform well.
"The chance to go see those 12 guys go in the first place is a big accomplishment. And then to see 11 of those guys be able to go there, perform at a high level, some of those at the highest level," Storms said. "That's awesome for those guys because I've seen them put the work in here."
One of the biggest things that Storms saw from the FSU players at the combine was not just their final stat lines, but the way they were executing and finishing the drills.
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It's something that's taught in those early spring months at Tour of Duty.
"The biggest thing watching the fieldwork at the combine not just how well those guys move, watch the way they finish drills," Storms said, "Where do you think that came from? You guys just saw it today, right? That's the foundation of what we do and that carries over to that level and that's huge for those guys."
Holding a high standard
Florida State football kicker Ryan Fitzgerald takes part in the final Tour of Duty winter workouts ahead of 2024 spring practices on Thursday, March 7, 2024.
That same type of attitude was still being taught on Thursday morning as players sprinted from the start of the drill to the back of the line.
A few were holding hips and heeled over once they got back there but were ready to go once they were at the front again.
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These past few weeks have been great for Tour of Duty's reputation. In addition to the success at the NFL Combine, Norvell said that this is the best Tour of Duty he's seen.
However, Storms said part of that goes into the team not having enough time to "get in very bad shape."
"Part of that is we played a game on the very last day of [December] and we were back in here rolling on the ninth. So you don't have a whole lot of time to get in very bad shape between then," Storms said. "But it wasn't so much about still coming in good shape it has been their approach to it."
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on X @jackgwilliams.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's Tour of Duty elevating former players at NFL Combine
