Florida State Football: 10 Things We Learned from the Spring Game
So the spring game is over and we've seen the results. We've been through the winners and losers and we've seen the strengths and weaknesses, now it's time to evaluate what we learned from the spring game.
For the most part, the scrimmage was beneficial to fans. It gave them a look at what's to come and what is worth waiting for. The full squad will be back and healthy and ready for a season full of anticipation.
There has not been talk of a Florida State uprising like this in almost a decade, and if Jimbo and company want to answer the questions, this is the year for it.
The spring game opened our eyes to a lot of different aspects of this team and it raised some concerns and answered some lingering questions as well.
One thing is certain; the hype around this team isn't for nothing and they have a mass amount of talent on this young football team.
10. Clint Trickett Is a Solid Back-Up Quarterback
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E.J. Manuel already has the starting job at quarterback locked up, but for most of the offseason and through spring ball, the talk has been about the back-up. Who will step up?
The contest between Clint Trickett and Will Secord was supposed to answer that during the spring game and Trickett clearly is ready for that role.
Trickett went 13-of-22 for 137 yards, which isn't exactly mind boggling, but when compared to Secords' 3-for-9 for 25 yards performance, it looks down right amazing. Both were playing behind the same line for the most part and both had the same receivers and backs to use.
Trickett just looked the part and he even looked to be a potential starter sometime down the road. He will have his work cut out for him because of incoming recruits, but if he stays the course and continues to improve he certainly deserves a shot.
Manuel has had some injuries in the past, so Trickett will need to be ready for that once the season rolls around, but all signs show that he's up to the task.
9. E.J. Manuel Still Needs Time
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So here's the deal: I've been pretty hard on E.J. knowing full well that he didn't have his top receivers on his side or his best offensive linemen in front of him. That being said, he still needs time to step into the starter role.
A recent interview showed E.J. saying that he feels like he's been the starter this entire time, but that clearly wasn't what he showed during the spring game. He needs more time to develop chemistry with this offense, the same offense that was left behind by Christian Ponder who ran it for three years.
The best thing for Manuel is that he still has all summer to develop that chemistry and to fine tune his game. He looked rattled for most of the scrimmage and he spent a lot of time overthrowing his receivers and missing his reads.
The upside to all of this is that while Manuel didn't play exceptional, he wasn't bad either. Going into the game, there were a lot of expectations for him. A lot of fans expected him to be great and to show poise in the pocket, but mostly they wanted to see him excel in the offense.
Manuel will be ready come the fall, there is no doubt about that, but he needs more time.
8. Greg Dent Has the Potential to Be the Top Receiver
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Bert Reed, Willie Haulstead and Rodney Smith were all supposed to be "the guy" at receiver, but none seemed to compare to Greg Dent.
The sophomore receiver hauled in seven catches for 72 yards and for much of the game he was the only spark plug to the offense.
Dent ran great routes and he provided a safety valve for E.J. Manuel when plays were breaking down.
Dent displayed all of the capabilities to be a star wide receiver and to steal plenty of balls from the other wide outs, but he will need to continue to build on his performance.
It helps that Dent was selected to play on the Gold team with Manuel, but that doesn't take anything away from his performance.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Greg Reid Is the Real Deal
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Greg Reid is exactly as advertised. He's the one of the top cornerbacks in the country, if not the best. He's only 5'8", but he packs a punch in the run support and his coverage skills have gotten better each year since he was a true freshman just two years ago.
Reid's performance in the spring game cements the fact that he's ready for his best year yet.
He returned an interception for a touchdown and had three pass break-ups, but he was punishing receivers if they dared to catch a ball in his territory.
Reid may be lacking in size, but there's not denying the heart of this young man. He's confident and it shows, but most importantly he believes in the potential of this team.
Barring injury, Reid will be the top corner in the country and may take home the Thorpe award.
6. Nick Waisome Will See Plenty of Playing Time
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Nick Waisome saw plenty of playing time during Saturday's spring game and his talent was on full display. The true freshman enrolled in January and has been impressing the coaches ever since.
Waisome collected six tackles included one pass break-up during the scrimmage, but he showed that he was capable of winning some playing time in the fall. Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes will not doubt be the starters at corner and Mike Harris will be plenty involved as well, but Waisome looked to be able to step in on nickel and dime packages without a problem.
Waisome was a late signee to Florida State after being committed to Florida for so long and his play has 'Noles fans very excited to what he is capable of down the road.
5. The Defensive Line Will Be the Top Unit on the Team
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Just a couple years ago, the defensive line was seen as one of the weakest units in all of football. They couldn't stop the run or put pressure on the quarterback. That has all changed in the past two season.
Brandon Jenkins had a monster year last year and he's expected to do the same again this year, but it's not just him anymore.
Bjoern Werner looks every bit the part to be a dominant defensive end including JUCO transfer Tank Carradine who defensive coordinator Mark Stoops has already dubbed "the freak".
Then there is the interior lineman.
Everett Dawkins and Anthony McCloud look like they will be a force in the middle, which means more work and more stats for Jenkins and Werner.
Youngster Cameron Erving has come on strong during the spring and is vying for playing time.
Dan Hicks looks to finally be able to enter the rotation at defensive end, which means there will be four capable ends to go along with the monsters on the inside.
4. LaMarcus Joyner Belongs at Free Safety
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The only knock on LaMarcus Joyner from Saturday is that he didn't get a tackle, but he did have a pass breakup. The most important thing that Joyner did was he completely shut down every receiver that came into his area.
He displayed great coverage skills and the switch from corner to free safety in one spring proved to be the right move.
Nick Moody was injured and from a year ago he was incapable of being the free safety, so the coaches had to look elsewhere.
Joyner will fill the gap that Moody left last season and he will add a dimension of a playmaker to the position.
Joyner is simply too good to keep off the field and the cornerback positions were filled so the coaches made the move to switch his positions, and it was the right move.
3. Jacob Fahrenkurg Is the Next Star at Offensive Line
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JUCO transfer Jacob Fahrenkrug was moved to center for the spring game due to the injured David Spurlock not being able to play.
For the poor play that the offensive line displayed, Fahrenkrug played admirably. He's a very large lineman especially for the interior and with Spurlock's head issues, Fahrenkrug was named as the center by Jimbo Fisher just this week.
Fahrenkrug will need to be solid in the interior to hold this young line together.
Against the defensive line that will be one of the best in the country, Fahrenkrug displayed great run blocking skills and was able to play great in the pass block game as well.
2. The Linebackers Are Top Notch
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Nigel Bradham, Christian Jones and Vince Williams will be the starting three in the defense, but that doesn't mean that Telvin Smith, Nigel Terrel and Terrance Smith won't see plenty of playing time.
If the secondary wasn't the main concern for the defense, it was the depth at linebacker.
These three back-ups showed much improvement to be able to step in if one of the starters go down and the defense won't miss a beat.
The starters, however, will have the potential to be the top linebacker crew in the country. Nigel Bradham will be on Butkus Award watch lists and Christian Jones may find himself on that same list as well.
This will be Vince Williams first year as a starter and he will take over for Kendall Smith, who graduated last year.
Williams is far more athletic and bitter than Smith and should be solid in the middle.
This group has no question marks around them and they will excel in Stoops' scheme in the second year.
1. The 'Noles Need to Stay Healthy
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In the wide scheme of things, injuries were the most evident during the scrimmage. David Spurlock, Andrew Datko, Zebrie Sanders, Jeff Luc, Chris Thompson, Nick Mooday, Xavier Rhodes, Holmes Onwukaife and Jacobbi McDaniel all sat out the spring game. Six of them were starters last season.
Now Datko, Sanders and Spurlock were probably the injuries that hurt the most and it's essential for them to get healthy over the summer because if they aren't available in the fall, this offense is really going to struggle.
Luc is going to provide great back-up ability to the middle linebacker position and he will be needed. Rhodes was the freshman of the year in the ACC last season and he needs to have another big year if the secondary is going to improve.
Thompson was the 'Noles leading rusher and McDaniel was a starter at defensive tackle last year. Onwukaife started to show improvement during the spring at linebacker before he was injured, so these players all need to stay healthy.
If these guys can all come back in the summer or in the fall and be ready to go, there is no way this team will fail and if they do, they will only have themselves to blame.
There is far too much talent on this team for them to not succeed, but it's all on them now.
Barring injuries, this team is going to soar.
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