TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) - Day one is in the books for the Florida State football team. Overall? No complaints from head coach Jimbo Fisher, who liked the tempo and the efforts from his team.
Fisher insists he doesn't have a depth chart and doesn't know his starters. At this point, everyone gets the same amount of reps. Fisher made a point to say the nearly two dozen freshman on this team came through just fine on day one.
"You have no idea what it's like out there for them that first day. Anxiety. I mean, that's the biggest thing," he said after practice. "I know people are just so nervous because they want to do well, and they're in a new environment and everything is going 3000 miles an hour. You just want to see them go out there, be a part of it, their energy, their attitude, their work ethic, their demeanor, you know what I'm saying? Those types of things. That's what you can work with, and then you keep teaching it as you go."
A guy those wide eyed freshman will look to this year? Derwin James, who is ready to get after it after missing just about all of last season with a meniscus injury.
James is receiving all of the hype heading into this season, as he was voted college football's best player last month by Sports Illustrated, but he insists, he's just ready to play his game.
"All I worry about is the guys that are in the room with me everyday, going to war with me," he said. "Those guys that have my back and all those things are great off the field, but I want to win and whatever it takes to help me team, that's all I want."
"That means you have talent. That means it's possible for you to do that," Fisher said of the accolades James has been given so far. "What he has to do is make possible and make it probable. He's got to do that by performing and practicing everyday and be detail oriented and not worry about that, just go play the game."
Florida State opens the regular season on September the 2nd when they face Alabama in Atlanta.
