Lookin Good

Commitment #13

Nigel Terrell *** LB 6'2" 205lbs from Pelham Alabama committed to the Noles. His 40 time is 4.46. I like this kids size at 6'2". The frame is there to pack on the muscle. FSU is doing excellent in recruiting once again. FSU is doing it right once again by going for what they actually see and not by what publications rank them. Recruited by Jimbo Fisher and Chuck Amato....yes I said Chuck Amato. Chose FSU over Ole Miss.

In other FSU news. Everett Dawkins has moved back to DT due to the injuries at that position.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

See a weakness....fix the weakness.

FSU is addressing the small DT situation:

Commitment #12
Mr. Cameron Erving 6'5" 285lbs DT from Moltrie, GA. He is an Unranked recruit.......GOOD. They don't mean anything anyways. Georgia newspaper calls him the best kept secret in the State of GA.

This is really good.....Size. size, and more Size.

Season Predictions (Jacksonville State)

With 4 days of preparation after the Miami game which I predict an upset in my first prediction and the fact that Jacksonville State has Mr. Ryan Perrilloux from LSU at QB could be a disaster in the making. Not so fast. FSU will dominate this game....... period.

FSU 42
JSU 10

No need to over analyze this. JSU will be coming off of a Georgia Tech game and Perrillusx has been suspended for the GT game. He will be rusty and won't be acclimated to the speed of FSU.

I will be at this game.

The Freshman

The Freshman have arrived and have been involved in Summer Conditioning, practices, 2-a-days, and Scrimmages. Based in their performance here is a list of Freshman I feel will contribute significantly this year based on reports from the Staff.

1. Willie Haulstead (Pictured). Titusville Florida. Every Practice report includes a TD from Mr. Haulstead. He is being compared to Anquan Boldin.

2. Jacobbi McDaniel. Madison County Florida. Impressive athletic Ability and strength for a Freshman. Will get put into the DL rotation. Warren Sapp type player

3. Demonte McAllister. Tampa Florida. Same as McDaniel. Might have a Peter Boulware type player here.

4. Greg Reid. Valdosta Georgia. Fast, Quick and Confident. Terrell Buckley comparisons and is coached by Mr. Buckley.

5. Jajuan Harley. Tallahassee Florida. Ball Hawk. Great Field Awareness. Possible Chris Hope type player.

6. Chris Thompson. Madison County Florida. Makes plays when he touches the ball. elusive runner. Warrick Dunn type player.

7. Lonnie Pryor. Okeechobee Florida. Proved a solid work horse given his opportunity due to minor injuries to the rest of the RBs. Probably won't see much playing time this year but he is "The Future".

I might have missed some but these guys have been headliners in practices and the Seniors have taken notice as well.

Player Rankings Updated

A couple months ago I did a Top 10 Players List heading into this season. I will Update this list throughout the season and I have decided to update it based on practice updates and the end of 2-a-days. These will be based on performance and not name recognition. Next Update will be after the Miami Game where these players must prove it.

Updated Rankings:
1. Rodney Hudson (JR OL)
2. Christian Ponder (RS JR QB)
3. Jamie Robinson (RS SR S)
4. Richard Goodman (RS SR WR)
5. Andrew Datko (SO OL)
6. Jermaine Thomas (SO RB)
7. Dakota Watson (SR LB)
8. Mister Alexander (RS JR LB)
9. David Spurlock (SO OL)
10. Patrick Robinson (SR CB)

Honorable Mention:
Beau Reliford (SO TE/H-Back)
Rod Owens (RS SR WR)
Ryan McMahon (RS JR C)

Previous Rankings:
1. Rodney Hudson
2. Dakota Watson
3. Patrick Robinson
4. Jermaine Thomas
5. Ryan McMahon
6. Christian Ponder
7. Markus White
8. Nigel Bradham
9. Bert Reed
10. Greg Reid

Honorable Mention:
Brandon Jenkins (FR DE)
Andrew Datko (SO OT)
Louis Givens (SR WR)
Moses McCray (SO DT)
Jarmon Fortson (SO WR)
Jacobbi McDaniel (FR DT)

Whats Been Happening

I don't like to give knee jerk reaction to every little thing that happens during practice both good or bad. I like to evaluate these last two weeks of practices and scrimmages as a whole.

Positive things:

Injuries are down considerably from years past. Major kudoz to the strength and conditioning coaches.

Ponder has thrown the ball very well against Defenses that are loaded to stop the run and he is making the correct reads. Manuel is getting very valuable reps and is making steady progress.

Practice tempo is high and everyone gets the equal amount of reps with little down time for anyone.

Incoming Freshman class is participating well and they will make a significant contribution this year.

Needs to improve

DL size and strength. Yes the Strength and Conditioning Staff did a superb job this year but FSU needs to recruit a bigger and stronger High School athlete on the DL. McDaniel and McAllister are the beginning of this process.

LB playmakers: I heard very little on this unit these past 2 weeks. The only news I heard was from the last scrimmage where the LBs made some plays. This is supposed to be the strong point of the Defense.

WR Focus: Jimbo pointed out the lack of focus numerous times by this unit whether it was running of routes, blocking, lining up correctly, or false starts this unit needs to focus every play.

I would grade the Team as a whole a B+.

Offense I give an A-.
Defense I give a C.
Spacial Teams I give a B-. Kickers have been impressive in making the FG during live action. No news on KR and PR ability is why I give the B-.

As a whole this team appears better and progressing in the right direction but FSU isn't playing Tiddly Winks High on Labor Day Night. Its time to focus and get sharp for Miami who will be looking for serious redemption.

Season Predictions (Miami Game)

Any Nole player, coach, and fan will tell you this is toughest opponent of the season. Sure the Gators are on a roll right now and Boston College, Clemson, Wake Forest, in fact the whole conference is tough, but the vaunted "U" remains the most physically and mentally demanding game of the year.

Miami has a new offensive coordinator, Mr. Mark Whipple. Mr. Whipple developed Ben Roethlisberger on the Steeler's staff, and was an Offensive Coordinator for the Eagles in the NFL. He won a 1-AA National Title as the Umass Head Football Coach. Bottom line is he is very solid, prepared, and good. FSU will see his system on the first week of the season without knowing much history on his philosophies.

Miami's offense returns nine starters so this unit which came back on FSU last season should be better. Defensively, FSU will have some questions at certain positions going into the Miami game, and there are usually a little more mistakes made during the first game. The mistakes or miscues will be on both Miami and FSU. It is the team that can overcome and capitalize that will be successful. I give a slight edge to the Miami offense over the FSU defense going into this game due to the experience of Miami, new offensive coordinator, and the questions on FSU defense.

Miami's Defense is also lead by first year coordinator Mr. John Lovett. Mr. Lovett came for UNC and has spent time at Clemson. He is very familiar with the ACC. The defense returns 9 players who started or played significant time last year. FSU's offense should have one of the best in the ACC. FSU will be ready for Miami's defense and should see success during this game. I give FSU's offense an edge of Miami's defense this year due to the experience of FSU's O-Line, and QB.

Special Teams: Going into the any season this is the area of the most change. FSU will have a new kicker to replace All World Gano. Based on that alone and the fact that Miami's return game killed FSU last year I give the edge to Miami.

Intangibles:
FSU is bigger, leaner, stronger, and faster than last year.
FSU coaching staff has been together for 3 years now for more continuity.
FSU has confidence back in the program and they prepare well for Miami since there are 3 former players on staff or graduate assistants,
Miami has been out of the press this offseason. It has been real quiet like the calm before the storm.
Miami has new coordinators that the players seem to have confidence in.
The game is at FSU which home field doesn't play in as much between these two teams.

Taking all things into consideration I predict:

Miami upsets FSU (UM 24, FSU 21) My heart says Noles win, but for some reason Miami will be up to the challenge. I hope I am wrong but this is what my gut tells me.

As the World Turns

FSU got Commitment 12: Mr Telvin Smith *** OLB 6'3" 196 Lbs from Valdosta Ga. Has offers from Geargia, LSU, and Auburn. Recruited by Dexter Carter.

FSU loses a commitment at the same time. Pahokee DB Merrill Noel has de-committed from FSU and has committed to Wake Forest. It is my understanding that this is not a surprise and FSU should be getting 2 more DB signees this class.