Norvell says DJ Uiagalelei has done a "remarkable job" this preseason.He adds he's excited with where he is and that today was a big evaluation day that he handled well two weeks out from the season opener.

With 13 camp practices in the books, and now two Saturdays away from FSU-GT, a thought came to mind: This defense could be just as good, and perhaps statistically better, despite the loss of NFL draft picks.

Until these prospects sign on the dotted line they are not officially committed anywhere. Things change each week so a player whose stock up this week could choose another school next week. FSU has one of the top classes this year based on star rankings. They have over a 4.0 average on the Rivals network, which would put them in the top five nationally. The way I rank classes is based on balance and need. Right now FSU has a quality class. Other programs may have more players committed but FSU is pulling in BLUE CHIP PROSPECTS at every position.

Stock Up
1. RB Ousmane Kromah (Lee County, 5-11, 200): After getting burned last year, I am skeptical on these Georgia kids. That being said FSU has also done well in the state of Georgia, landing the top tight end last year (Landen Thomas), the top running back (Kam Davis) and possibly the top QB (Luke Kromenhoek). So while they did lose out on KJ Bolden, FSU continues to make its mark in Georgia. FSU has already pulled in one of the top guards (Peyton Joseph) and top receivers (CJ Wiley). I like where FSU sits with Kromah. Follow the visits. FSU sits well with Kromah. (Competition-Auburn/Georgia)

2. OT Josh Petty (Fellowship Christian, 6-5, 265): Petty is probably priority No. 1 for FSU. He plays tackle and FSU has a ton of guards on its roster. He is going to cost a ton of NIL but when you have a major need like FSU does, Petty is worth it.

3. DL Jeremiah McCloud (Lee County, 6-3, 280): (Committed to UF) McCloud showed up on FSU's campus recently. The Seminoles continue to recruit McCloud. FSU is going to lose two starters at DT and also could have some attrition next spring. McCloud is one of the most underrated defensive tackles in the country.

4. DB Bryce Fitzgerald (Miami Columbus, 6-1, 175): Fitzgerald showed up on campus at FSU and all of a sudden they shot to the top of the leaderboard. UF and Miami are both going to be tough to beat out, but DB coach Pat Surtain made an impression on the young man. FSU seems to be recruiting DB as well as anyone in the country. It is no surprise that Bryce is interested in the Seminoles.



5. DB Onis Konanbanny (Heathwood Hall, 6-1, 190): Tennessee, FSU, Tennessee, FSU, Tennessee, FSU. It is a coin flip right now. This one was all Tennessee but FSU has given him something to think about. Onis being a three-star is criminal. He has size and length. He also runs very well.

Stock Down
1. WR Kaliq Lockett (Sachse, Texas, 6-2, 180): Big-time talent. I like CJ Wiley a lot but add Lockett and FSU hit a home run. He comes from the state of Texas and the Longhorns will be hard to beat. That being said you can't count out the Seminoles. He is on the stock down list but that does not mean FSU has no shot.

2. DE Jared Smith (Thompson, 6-6, 245): Smith came to FSU's campus and along with Zion Grady they decided to drop Nick Clayton. Smith and Grady showed interest in the Seminoles. FSU has a shot at Smith but Auburn looks to be the team in the clubhouse. This is one you want to go the distance. If he does not commit right away and Auburn struggles on the field, FSU could sneak in there and pull his commitment.

3. DT Justus Terry (Manchester HS, 6-5, 275): Terry is a long shot. That being said Odell has pulled some shockers in recruiting DTs. FSU is in a position of strength with the commitments of Myron Charles and Kevin Wynn. They can shoot for the moon and if they miss still sit pretty at DT.

4. LB Ty Jackson (Seminole Ridge, 6-2, 200): Jackson has had a weird recruitment. If there is one prospect that has not shown his cards it is Jackson. He has never really named a leader or top five. The word is UF may be his leader. If he commits to UF this is one you play the long game on. The Gators' season will determine what type of class they sign.

5. S Jordan Young (Monroe, 6-0, 185): Young has shown interest in FSU but they have never seemed to get much traction. He is a player of need. FSU has a very good corner room. They have some options at safety. Young is most likely going to stay and play closer to home.

Stock the same
1. RB Byron Louis (American Heritage Plantation, 5-11, 200): Louis has been at the top of FSU's RB board for months now. They also are the team to beat. While Georgia and Miami will make it interesting the Seminoles look like the team with the best chances at pulling in Louis.

2. S Ladarian Clardy (Escambia, 5-11, 175): Clardy looked like he was going to choose Ole Miss. He may still pick the Rebels. He decided to hold off on his commitment and now draw it out a little longer. This can only help FSU, which did not look like the pick if Clardy chose a school this month. He is one of the more underrated players on the board. Both Pat and I feel that Clardy would be a great get for the Seminoles.

3. DE Jalen Wiggins (Rickards, 6-4, 255) (Committed to UF): While committed to UF this one seems flimsy at best. FSU is the home town team and their need on the defensive line makes Wiggins a hot commodity. FSU lost out to the Gators for LJ McCray last year. We feel this one will end up going FSU's way when all is said and done.

4. LB Tavion Wallace (Wayne County, 6-1, 220) (Committed to Arkansas): Wallace's commitment to Arkansas was one of the biggest surprises so far this recruiting cycle. We still feel FSU will land Wallace come NSD. Arkansas has a coach on the hottest of hot seats.

We have a TON of Lady Noles doing a lot of great things! I appreciate this level of coverage!! Thank You!!!

FSU sports information:

Florida State's Morgane Metraux fired an 8-under par 66 in the second round and is in first place after two rounds of the Olympic Women's Golf Championship at Le Golf National. She holds a one-stroke lead over Yin Ruoning of the People's Republic of China with 36 holes remaining to be played in the tournament. The 27-year-old Seminole All-American, who is playing for her home country of Switzerland, carded two eagles and four birdies in a bogey-free front nine holes to reach 10 under par for the tournament in the first round. Metraux fired an 8-under 28 on the front nine to set a new Olympic record on Thursday

Metraux was one of the first six golfers to begin play in the round and is the clubhouse leader as of 9:15 am ET on Thursday.

Live scoring of the championship can be found here.

Metraux began Thursday in a tie for third place after carding a 2-under 70 in Round 1, and caught fire early in her second round with a birdie on the par-4 first hole to move to 3-under. She then eagled the par-5 third hole, and earned off three more birdies on holes No. 4, 5 and 6 to move to 8-under for the tournament and 6-under for the round.

Metraux totaled pars on holes seven and eight but closed out her incredible opening round with another eagle on the par-5 ninth hole, making a nearly 16-footer after once again finding the green in two.

“There wasn't a particular shot,” said Metraux. “I hit really good shots on one and two which I think are some of the hardest holes, especially with some of those pins. The pin on two was really difficult. To to be this close to the hole there on that hole was crucial for the confidence and for going into the round. But I didn't think there was one in particular (that gave me a notion that it could be a great day).”

Metraux’s front nine score of is the first 28 to be recorded on nine holes in both the men’s and women’s Olympic golf competitions this year. The score is also two shots lower than Metraux’s career-low nine-hole score on the LPGA Tour. She posted a front-nine 30 during Round 1 of the 2023 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

“There was barely any wind this morning,” said Metraux after her round. “Perfect conditions and the course is just perfect. If you hit a good putt, you know it's going to go in because the greens are rolling so well. I was really calm. I knew my game is in a good spot, and I was rolling it well. It was actually surprisingly very calm starting the round. The difference between yesterday and today at the beginning is just the putts that fell. It just brought me confidence going forward and I just tried to stay as present as I could and one shot at a time.”

The Florida State graduate and Seminole All-American is relishing her time in Paris.

“It's always fun to see Swiss flags and people shouting my name,” said Metraux. “When I make a birdie, they make a lot of noise. It's fun to know there's so many people supporting me. I don't take it as pressure. I'm just happy I can perform in front of them and you know have that much support. So it's really fun.”

Golf Channel will air the 2024 Women’s Olympic Golf event on TV.

Olympic Women’s Golf TV schedule
Friday, August 9: 3 a.m.-end of round (Golf Channel)
Saturday, August 10: 3 a.m.-end of round (Golf Channel)

For the second straight year, FSU has multiple representatives on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List. Defensive tackles Darrell Jackson and Josh Farmer both made the cut of the top 100 freakiest athletes in college football this season.

I'd like to offer up my interview with Brooke Wyckoff as a starting point for discussion on FSU women's hoops in 2024-25

If you have thoughts on the players, coaches or the program, let's chat below:

FSU sports information:

The reigning national champion Florida State soccer team earned all eight first-place votes en route to earning the top spot in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll. The Seminoles have earned the No. 1 spot to start the season for the fourth time in six seasons.

Florida State was one of three ACC schools ranked inside the top five and one of seven ACC schools ranked inside the top 25. New conference opponent and national championship runner-up Stanford was ranked No. 2 followed by BYU, Penn State, and Clemson. FSU is scheduled to play four ranked teams, all four in Tallahassee, and two teams receiving votes.

The Seminoles are coming off their fourth straight national championship in 10 seasons and fourth straight conference title. The team returns 10 players from last season and brought in the No. 1 ranked recruiting class with seven freshmen and seven transfers.

Florida State will host an exhibition match against TCU on Friday before opening its season in Tampa against South Florida on Aug. 15.

NOW, Kid is a winner, every time he touches the ball it could be a TD

…why is it starting to feel like he is what we thought he was? Have yet to read practice notes where he was “sharp.”

@Jerry Kutz do you see anything that worries you?

FSU sports information:

Florida State All-American Morgane Metraux, who is playing for her home country of Switzerland, eagled her final hole of the third round and is in a tie for first place heading into Saturday’s fourth and final round of the Olympic Women’s Golf Tournament at Le Golf National. Metraux, who has held the lead following the second and third rounds, shot a 1 under par score of 71 on Friday and has a three-round total of 9 under par 207. She is tied for first place with Lydia Ko of New Zealand.

“My hybrid,” she said when asked which club she hit her approach shot on 18. “I hit my driver a little too short. I was in between 5-iron and hybrid.”

The final round of the championship is set for Saturday.

Live scoring of the championship can be found here.

Metraux played at Florida State from 2016-2019 and is looking to become the first Seminole golfer to earn a medal at the Olympics. Four Seminoles -- Gabby Carle, Soccer (Gold), Kaleigh Rafter, Softball (Bronze), Casey Short, Soccer (Bronze), and Head Softball Coach Lonni Alameda, Softball (Silver), most recently earned medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“I stayed patient today,” said Metraux. “That was the key. I focused on myself and didn't let what everybody else was doing get to me. I know this course is very difficult, and any hole can get to you at any point. Nelly (Korda) was a perfect example yesterday. She had a great round and just one hole cost her a lot. So you have to just be on the whole time and focus on yourself, and I was able to do that today.”

Metraux began the third round in first place in the standings. She moved into the leaders spot with an eagle and birdie-filled second round score of 66.

With only one birdie on the back nine, and having gone from overnight leader for the first time in her career, to two strokes off out of the lead, Metraux approached over her second shot on the par-5 18th. She then hit her best shot of the day, to 19 feet of the hole, and made an eagle-3. Her eagle took her from over par to under par on the day as she finished with a 1 under par score of 71.

The eagle also allowed her to move back into first place with a share of the lead at 9 under par.

“Today was fun. It was a lot of fun,” said Metraux following her round. “I was a lot more calm and serene than I thought I was going to be. It really helped playing with girls I knew and who are super nice, too. Yes, I had a lot of fun, and things just didn't quite drop for most of the round for me. But I stayed really patient and it paid off on last hole.

“I came in this week, just telling myself, it's medal or nothing. So just give it everything, obviously without attacking too much but within reason. I think I need to go into every event with that mentality because it seems to be working well. It's fun to play in front of so many people. It’s fun to play in front of so many people, to have so much support and play so close to home, too. It's really a lot of fun.”

Metraux will play in the coveted final group beginning at 6:39 a.m. (ET) with Ko and Rose Zhang of the United States.

The Golf Channel will broadcast Saturday's round beginning at 3 a.m.

FSU sports information:

Redshirt senior offensive lineman Maurice Smith was named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, presented annually to the nation’s top center, Friday.

Smith, a preseason All-ACC selection, has started in 41 of his 45 appearances during his career, with 39 of those starts coming at center. The senior from Miami is a two-time All-ACC selection and last year was also on the All-ACC Academic Team. He started all 12 games he played in 2023, helping Florida State to its 16th ACC title behind a 13-0 regular season. Smith blocked for an FSU offense that led the conference in scoring offense, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, yards per completion, fewest interceptions thrown and fewest turnovers while protecting Jordan Travis, the ACC’s Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. Travis, who finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting, led the ACC in passing efficiency, yards per attempt and fewest interceptions while also breaking Florida State career records for total offense and touchdown responsibility.

Florida State has won the Rimington Trophy once before, when Bryan Stork earned the honor while leading FSU to a national championship in 2013. Smith was previously named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List and was FSU’s Good Works Team nominee in recognition of his community service.

Florida State, the defending ACC Champions, will open the season August 24 at 12:00 p.m. ET in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic against Georgia Tech on ESPN.

Preseason Watch Lists
Rimington Trophy – best center – OL Maurice Smith
Davey O’Brien Award – best quarterback – QB DJ Uiagalelei
Walter Camp Player of the Year – QB DJ Uiagalelei
Lou Groza Award – best placekicker – K Ryan Fitzgerald
Ray Guy Award – best punter – P Alex Mastromanno
Wuerffel Trophy – community service – OL Maurice Smith
Thorpe Award – best defensive back – DB Shyheim Brown
Nagurski Trophy – best defensive player – DL Joshua Farmer
Outland Trophy – best interior lineman – DL Joshua Farmer & OL Darius Washington
Maxwell Award – best player – QB DJ Uiagalelei

Photos from Florida State's practices on Wednesday and Thursday in Jacksonville from James Robinson.

Today's kool-aid saturated positive post:

It's the combination of the coaching staff and the talent level of the roster from top to bottom.

Let's face it, this roster was a complete wreck when Norvell arrived. There were some talented players, but not even close to enough to field a "team." In lightning-fast time, he surgically removed the cancers of the team, and started to fill the roster with not only the best talent he could find, but the best "fits." The ;uchbox type attitude and embracing the hard work was a must for kids on his roster. That became contagious. He started to find success and was getting more competitive play out of a semi-talented roster than other teams loaded with more "talent" on paper. You hear kids now saying things like, "this coaching staff turned a 3-star kid into a NFL pick, imagine what they will do with me." The classic doing more with less story. I am still amazed at the QB this staff was able to develop Jordan Travis into.

Fast forward to today. Norvell now has talent, top talent wants to be at FSU after seeing the quick growth. Norvell continues to instill that lunch box, hard-nosed attitude into this team. He will maximize their potential both physically and mentally. I can picture Norvell laying in bed at night knowing he finally has the team he has been trying to build since he got here. Now, we will really get to see what he can do with this level of talent at every position.

Trust me. . .drink with me.

FSU hosted 2026 four-star tight end JC Anderson on an unofficial visit in July. Anderson, who is from Mt. Zion (IL) High was offered by the Seminoles in May. He is ranked as the 8th-best TE prospect in the country for 2026 and the 138th-best overall prospect in the country.

On August 7th, Anderson released his list of top ten schools which included Florida State. The other nine schools are ND, UNC, PSU, ILL, AUB, LSU, MICH, TEX and OR.

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FSU sports information:

Jordynn Dudley, Heather Gilchrist and Taylor Huff were named to the 2024 Preseason All-ACC Team released on Thursday afternoon. The defending national champion Seminoles were picked to finish on top of the new-look ACC and received 15 first-place votes. FSU was the only team to have three or more players earn the preseason accolade.

Dudley returns after one of the greatest freshman seasons in recent history, tallying 14 goals and nine assists to tie for the team best with 37 points. The National Freshman of the Year recorded a point in nearly every conference game and went on a five-game point streak twice throughout the year. Dudley was named to the All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Tournament Team, and the 2023 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player. She was also named a MAC Hermann Semifinalist and was called up to the United States U-20 Women’s World Cup squad.

Gilchrist took the next step in her second year on the backline, making 21 starts throughout the season and emerging as one of the top 100 players according to TopDrawerSoccer. She played a massive role in clean sheets over No. 9 TCU and Florida. The defense was nearly spotless in the back half of the season, conceding just two goals in the final 10 games of the season and kept five straight shutouts going into the national championship game. Gilchrist was also called up to the United States U-20 Women’s World Cup squad.

Huff made an immediate impact in her first season at Florida State with a team-best 14 assists, the second-highest number of assists for a Seminole since 2007. The Tennessee transfer started all 23 games and recorded 28 points in 2023. She began the season with two goals and five assists in the first four games and assisted the second goal in the national championship victory over Stanford.

Florida State will host an exhibition match versus TCU on Friday at 7 p.m. before opening its championship defense at South Florida on August 15.

Observations and notes from Jerry Kutz and Bob Ferrante following Day 2 in Jacksonville for Florida State on Thursday

The night before FSU fall camp began, Marvin Jones Jr. rolled his ankle while getting in some extra work. After missing the start of camp, he's returned this week in a big way, looking like the same player who has consistently stood out since arriving.

FSU sports information:

Jordynn Dudley, Heather Gilchrist, Giana Riley, and Taylor Suarez have been selected to the 21-person roster for the United States U-20 Women’s National Team for the upcoming 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Florida State has four players representing this year’s squad, the most of any collegiate side.

Dudley has made nine appearances in competitive play for the U-20 side and was part of the squad that appeared in the 2023 CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Final. The reigning National Freshman of the Year has scored three goals for USA, highlighted by a crucial second goal in the 3-1 victory over Canada in July.

Suarez moved up to the U-20 side after great success with the U-17 squad where she played a role in claiming the 2022 CONCACAF Women’s U-17 Championship and appeared on the scoresheet in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The freshman has made eight appearances this year and scored her first U-20 goal in the aforementioned 3-1 victory over Canada.

Gonzaga transfer Giana Riley has made eight appearances for the Stars and Stripes this season, scoring her first U-20 goal in the 3-0 rout over South Korea. Gilchrist has made six appearances in the backline and helped the U.S. secure several clean sheets over Germany, Mexico, Colombia, and South Korea this year.

The United States has qualified for all 11 editions of the tournament and looks to become champions for the first time since 2012. Team USA will play in Group C and open against reigning champions Spain on September 1.

Notes and observations from Wednesday's FSU practice at the Jaguars' facility:

On Thursday's edition of Seminole Sidelines, the Osceola's Jerry Kutz and Bob Ferrante reflect on two days of practices in Jacksonville for the Florida State football team. We discuss the competition among receivers and defensive backs, a few under-the-radar names (Brian Courtney and Edwin Joseph) and some thoughts from Ron Dugans' interview on Thursday.

Thanks to Seminole Sidelines' sponsors: Alumni Hall, Seminoles2Ireland.com and Mowrey Law Firm.

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