A couple notes from Leonard Hamilton and Jamir Watkins as FSU opened up its first full day of team practice. The team has a limited window of hours over the summer - can't recall exact number of limitations - but that's a good time for Hamilton and the staff to get a feel for the team and hit on fundamentals.

Jamir Watkins is back and is unquestionably a big piece for FSU in 2024-25, whether you're choosing to be an optimist, realist or pessimist. Four returners from last season with Watkins, Chandler Jackson, Taylor Bowen and Waka Mbatch.

Lots of intriguing talent, much of it the younger guys. A few portal additions that will be important in the rotation. How the pieces fit and how does it look as a team? I have serious doubts but want to see more in the coming weeks and months.

Bowen is fun to watch. He's still slight at 6-10 and 195 but bouncy and athletic with a nice jumper. Needs to add more weight but a fun rotational piece and he sees himself as someone who can be a good defender and block some shots.

Among the newcomers, Malique Ewin is a juco transfer and Lawrenceville, Ga., native. He's 6-11 and 230 pounds. I thought he would look more physically impressive but he appears to be a rebounder and a post presence. It's tough to gauge as most of FSU's forwards are thinner, but Ewin will likely be the best matchup against the ACC's bigs.

Daquan Davis is a freshman point guard who picked FSU over GT. He has a pretty jump shot. Hamilton doesn't want to rely on freshmen, but my feeling is Jackson is more off a shooting guard than a point. So we'll see how Daquan comes along. If FSU can rebound, anyone can bring the ball up the floor. We get that. But in a halfcourt set, who makes sure the ball moves around? Likely Davis and Jackson.

Who are the leaders? It's Watkins and Bowen. Neither strike me as outspoken guys. But Watkins is someone with tons of experience from VCU and FSU, as well as his NBA workouts, so he is well-respected.

Alier Maluk reclassified to enroll early. He's slender at 7-foot and 218 pounds. Perhaps we see him in the non-conference but can't imagine how much he plays against ACC bigs.

Hearing good things about 6-7, 200-pound Bostyn Holt. He was at Utah and then South Dakota State. Holt should be in the rotation.

Mbatch (6-10, 225) was on the side / limited. Not sure what to gather from him ahead of year 2 just yet.

Nine scholarship newcomers total between the transfers and freshmen. That's far from what Hamilton wants as he craves longevity and consistency. I don't have a good feel for all of them yet, but we'll be watching in future practices.

Adrian Crawford's son, Jalen, is a walk-on. He's 6-foot and 145 pounds.

The roster is updated here. The full schedule drops tonight on the ACC Network. We'll have a story on it and I'll update the schedule page later, too.

Marvin Jones Jr. admits he has always put too much pressure on himself to perform.

After a frustrating slow start at FSU, his two-sack performance in the closing minutes of the Cal win could do wonders for lifting that weight off his shoulders.

Florida State was back on the practice field Tuesday morning for its first of two open practices to the media this week before Saturday night's road game at SMU (8 p.m. on ACC Network).

Mike Norvell called it a good day and said you could feel the energy, intensity and drive to improve from his players. However, he admitted things got a bit sloppy with eyes and details late in the practice and stressed the importance of those things going into a matchup against an SMU offense that likes to run tempo.

Here are more observations from the day's work:

No position group flashed more to me during Tuesday's practice than the linebackers. From the onset of practice, I thought that unit played at a high level. Blake Nichelson came up to make a few run stuffs during the first 11-on-11 series and DJ Lundy added another. Additionally, Justin Cryer made a great play on the goal line where he wrapped a receiver up after a screen pass to deny him from reaching the end zone.

The brightest offensive spot of the day probably came from Brock Glenn, who uncorked an incredible deep ball in stride to Darion Williamson during the opening team period. However, Glenn also was responsible for a fumble on a botched handoff after a low snap later in the day, showing some of his up-and-down nature.

DJ Uiagalelei also made a really spectacular throw in a team period, airing out a cross-body throw while rolling out left that was caught by Deuce Spann. It was quite an impressive throw and catch, continuing to display his remarkable arm talent. He also had chunk completions to Malik Benson and Amaree WIlliams in 11-on. In other situations throughout the practice, though, he continued to hold onto the ball a bit too long before passing.

Marvin Jones Jr. had a sack of Uiagalelei on Tuesday and also made a nice play on the first play of the first 11-on-11 period where he identified a screen pass and ran down the defender from behind for a "tackle." Encouraging to see him build off his breakthrough performance vs. Cal.

Quindarrius Jones secured an interception during an 11-on-11 period after he had three pass breakups Saturday. Freshman Ricky Knight III also had a pair of interceptions while working with the scout team. He made plays throughout preseason camp and continues to look like a future contributor.

We'll be back Wednesday with observations from FSU's final practice before Saturday night's first true road game of the 2024 season.