Florida State held its first game week prep practice Monday against Georgia Tech, while the Seminoles look forward to their season opener in Dublin, Ireland, in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.
After practice, offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and special teams coordinator John Papuchis went into more detail about what they expect from the Yellow Jackets on Saturday.
“I mean, I think their size, sure, the size inside. They’ve got two good interior defenders, with Romelo (size), they’ve got a good, fidgety defensive end, athletic speed, can chase things from behind, has done a good job,” offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said of what stood out up front for Georgia Tech. “I just think with that D-line, they just have the size and athleticism on the edge. They’ve got a veteran player back that didn’t get to play last year, and we played him in 2022. So they’ve got some players that have been around for a while, grew up in this system, so they’re not going to make very many mistakes.”
The Yellow Jackets will be breaking in a new defensive coordinator in former Duke DC Tyler Santucci. The two competed against each other last season before he was poached to become Tech’s DC.
“Unique running fits,” Atkins said of what he’s seen of Santucci’s scheme. “Sometimes the picture doesn’t show who fits in which gap. They know how to manipulate the scheme, and based on who’s up front twisting the gap, they do that well and manipulate who’s playing the C-gap and the D-gap and where that safety fits in things. So I think they protect the perimeter well, but also do a good job of disguising where guys are aligned and where they actually fit in.”
On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller will have his hands full with redshirt junior quarterback Haynes King, who threw for 2,842 yards and 27 touchdowns and rushed for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. King paired with Georgia Tech’s running attack is a challenge for any coordinator and any defense.
“They led the ACC in rushing… I mean, if you can run 350 against North Carolina and 200 against Georgia, that helps them just by putting together a couple of rushes. What’s the point of being able to run the ball? Bad eyes, throws in the throwing game,” Fuller said. “So it’s about being consistent, making sure you have your eyes in the right place, making sure you dominate the front so we can get some guys to play in the back of the field.”
The Yellow Jackets have two of their best receivers from last season back in Erik Singleton, Jr. and Malik Rutherford, who rushed for 1,216 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. While the ‘Noles will have one of the best secondaries in the ACC this season, Fuller said they will have to be disciplined to stop the passing game.
“They’re a long-throw football team, and whether it’s diagonal overs, compressed sets or deep vertical throws, I think you see their offense become a run-action shot offense, and they do a good job in formation,” Fuller continued. “Obviously, they have a good quarterback, they have guys that can hurt you on the perimeter, and they have a better offensive line. So I’m sure they’re happy with what they have, and it’s our job to go out there and play the defense that Florida State deserves.”
Florida State returns preseason All-American punter Alex Mastromanno and Lou Groza-nominated kicker Ryan Fitzgerald from last year’s ACC championship team, and head coach Mike Norvell is placing extreme emphasis on the entire special teams unit.
“One of the things that I think is always at least worth mentioning is the idea that the foundation of the culture here is special teams,” special teams coordinator John Papuchis said. “The guys are really, really intense in the special teams meetings and they can show that on the field as well. They’ve done a good job in terms of executing. Obviously Saturday will be the true test, but I think they’re ready to go out there and show it.”
The ‘Noles will travel to Dublin, Ireland later this week for two practices prior to game day, with the game scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. ET.
READ MORE: ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit expects enthusiastic FSU football fan base in Ireland
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