TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State started off 2013 with a win over Northern Illinois on New Year’s Day in the Discover Orange Bowl giving the program its first BCS Bowl win since 1999. Fast forward 2 ½ months, and a proud Seminole team hit the practice field Wednesday excited to continue to build on that success even with some changes in tow.
Florida State held the first of 15 spring practices Wednesday, which will culminate with the annual Garnet & Gold game slated for Apr. 13 inside Doak Campbell Stadium.
“It was exciting to be back out there,” FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “It was good to get those young guys participating with some of the older guys- catching on with some of the new things on defense – just leading and teaching those guys to step up that are going to be counted on with how they act, feel more comfortable out there and seeing their role where they have to step up.”
Despite losing 13 starters on paper and having turnover on a coaching staff that was the longest tenured staff heading into 2012, FSU’s first practice still produced its usual up tempo. Florida State returns 11 starters but most importantly several key reserves with a plethora of playing experience.
Despite having to replace seven starters on a defense that ranked second nationally, FSU still returns its leading tackler in Christian Jones (95 tackles in 2012), its third leading tackler in linebacker Telvin Smith (64 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss) and the majority of its secondary (DB Lamarcus Joyner, CB Nick Waisome, CB Ronald Darby, FS Terrence Brooks. Defensive tackles Timmy Jernigan (46 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss) and Demonte McAllister (33 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss), who were two of the top four stoppers on the defensive line, also return. FSU broke in a new signal caller on the defensive side Wednesday with the addition of defensive coordinator/secondary coach Jeremy Pruitt.
“Defensively they picked it up pretty much – very few times did I see missed assignments and things, “Fisher said. “I was very proud of that. The kids hustled, thought they played hard in practice. Just pleased with them all, got good work in and our first practice under our belt. Good solid first practice.”
Another storyline of FSU’s spring practice also took center stage on day one with the competition to replace departed starter EJ Manuel at quarterback getting underway. Redshirt junior Clint Trickett enters spring as the No. 1 but will be a in battle with redshirt sophomore Jacob Coker and redshirt freshmen Sean Maguire and Jameis Winston.
“They did their good and bad things,” Fisher said. “They’re learning. Very proud of all their checks, there were very few missed assignments. For the most part, I was pleased with the consistency being able to manage the team. That’s the first thing, being able to get in the huddle and call the plays. When they missed a throw, it was still going to the right guy. Good thing about it is that you’ve got a lot of experienced receivers out there, so guys are getting in the right spots, which makes it a lot easier on them.”
Florida State returns to the practice field on Thursday. FSU will wrap up the first week of spring practice with a session on Saturday morning. All practices are closed to the public. Fans can begin counting down to the Spring football weekend which will be capped off with the annual Garnet and Gold Spring football game at 2 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium on Apr. 13. The game will be carried on ESPN3 and replayed on ESPNU.
