I'll take D. Jackson! Pure Beast!

Darius Gray has been trying to make it to Florida State's campus since he got offered back in February and the Seminoles got the final visit of the summer for Gray before he headed back to Richmond, VA. Gray is the No. 2 offensive guard prospect in the 2026 class and looks to be a big target moving forward for the Seminoles.
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First impressions of the Seminoles’ fifth day of preseason camp from the Osceola’s Nick Carlisle and Bob Ferrante reflect on the receivers and running backs in what was a mixed bag day for the offense in Day 5 on Monday.

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FSU sports information:

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List Monday, presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the outstanding player in college football.

Uiagalelei has started 40 games in his career and earned a 30-10 record while accounting for 9,451 yards of total offense with 8,319 yards and 57 touchdowns passing and 1,132 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. The Inland Empire, California, native transferred to FSU from Oregon State, where he was a 2023 Davey O’Brien Award semifinalist after throwing for 2,638 yards and 21 touchdowns with 219 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground. His 21 passing touchdowns were sixth in a season for the Beavers, with a career-high five coming in Oregon State’s victory over Cal.

Uiagalelei spent his first three seasons at Clemson, where he ranks top-10 in program history for completions, passing touchdowns, quarterback rushing touchdowns, passing yards and wins as the starting quarterback. He recorded 51 total touchdowns with the Tigers and was 22-6 as Clemson’s starting quarterback.

Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis was a Maxwell Award semifinalist in 2023 before being drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Charlie Ward is FSU’s only previous Maxwell Award winner, taking home the honor during his Heisman Trophy season in 1993.

Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 12, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 26, 2024. The winners of the 88th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2024. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday March 14, 2024 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

Uiagalelei and the Seminoles will open the season August 24 in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic against Georgia Tech.

The latest on some big names:

The 3M Open is the penultimate event of the PGA TOUR’s 2024 FedExCup Regular Season, with several players jockeying for spots in the three-event FedExCup Playoffs.
With just the top 70 in the FedExCup standings after the Wyndham Championship qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs, it’s prime time to earn valuable FedExCup points at this week’s 156-player event at TPC Twin Cities.
Here’s everything else you need to know as the TOUR returns to the 3M Open.

FIELD NOTES: Both Justin Rose and Billy Horschel, who finished tied for second at The Open Championship, return across the Atlantic to tee it up at the 3M Open. Horschel finished T13 in 2023 in his tournament debut, while Rose is making his first trip to TPC Twin Cities … Nick Dunlap will head to the 3M Open after winning for the second time this season – but first as a professional – at the Barracuda Championship. Dunlap recorded 19 points Sunday in the Modified Stableford format (in shooting 9-under 62) to win again after breaking through to take The American Express while still an amateur. Dunlap showed the power of a good finish with his win Sunday, moving from No. 95 to No. 63 in the FedExCup standings and inside the mark to qualify for the Playoffs … Lee Hodges is looking to become the first player to successfully defend the 3M Open title. Hodges finished T12 at the PGA Championship – his best result of the season. Hodges enters the week at No. 73 in the standings, hovering around the FedExCup Playoffs bubble … Past champion Tony Finau looks to rekindle some magic at the 3M Open. Finau has made the cut in each of his five appearances at TPC Twin Cities and has notched back-to-back top-10s, including a three-stroke win in 2022. He also finished third in 2020 … Other 2024 winners competing this week include Akshay Bhatia (No. 14 on the FedExCup standings thanks to a win and a runner-up this season), and Presidents Cup International Team hopefuls Cam Davis and Taylor Pendrith, who finished T5 last week at the Barracuda Championship … Keegan Bradley, recently announced as U.S. Team captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup, is returning to the 3M Open for the first time since 2021. Bradley has made the cut in both prior appearances at TPC Twin Cities and has two top-10s this season as he looks to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs – and keep an eye on any Ryder Cup hopefuls … Reigning PGA TOUR University No. 1 Michael Thorbjornsen will be in action at the 3M Open. Thorbjornsen finished T2 at the John Deere Classic, his best TOUR result.
SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Luke Clanton returns to action on the PGA TOUR having gone 4-for-4 in made cuts so far this summer. The rising Florida State junior found the weekend at the U.S. Open before notching back-to-back top-10s at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and John Deere Classic … Neal Shipley, who topped Clanton for low amateur honors at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, is also returning to the PGA TOUR. Shipley finished sixth two weeks ago at the ISCO Championship and made the cut at last week’s Barracuda Championship … Recent Mercer graduate Tobias Jonsson won the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational to earn a spot in the 3M Open – becoming the first Mercer alum to compete on TOUR. Jonsson also won the individual title at the 2022 Eisenhower Trophy … Ben Warian recently concluded his senior season at the University of Minnesota, finishing in the top 20 in 11 of 12 tournaments. Warian was selected to the All-Big Ten Second Team and will sleep at home this week, as he grew up about 25 minutes from TPC Twin Cities … Ben James, who sits fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, returns to the PGA TOUR after finishing tied for 44th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. James has had a celebrated career at the University of Virginia as a PING first-team All-American last season while also leading the USA Team to victory at the Walker Cup.
COMCAST BUSINESS TOUR TOP 10 UPDATES: There was no change to the standings in the TOUR TOP 10 after last week’s Open Championship and Barracuda Championship, with Scottie Scheffler remaining firmly on top and The Open champion Xander Schauffele still in second. Scheffler has nearly 6,000 points while Schauffele has just over 4,000. They have separated themselves from the chasing pack, however, with Schauffele’s lead over No. 3, Rory McIlroy sitting at 1,500 points … Barracuda Championship winner Nick Dunlap moved up 32 spots in the standings to No. 63.
FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points
COURSE: TPC Twin Cities, par 71, 7,431 yards. Former world No. 1 and Minnesota native Tom Lehman was the player consultant for the layout, located about 15 miles from downtown Minneapolis, which originally opened in 2000 thanks to Arnold Palmer and his design company. One of the signature holes, the risk-reward par-4 17th, is named “Tom’s Thumb” after Lehman. A 2018 renovation included narrowing fairways, adding bunkers, and adding/repositioning tee complexes to prepare for the TOUR’s arrival in 2019. The course previously hosted the 3M Championship on PGA TOUR Champions, as well.
72-HOLE RECORD: 260, Lee Hodges (2023)
18-HOLE RECORD: 62, Scott Piercy (first round, 2019), Bryson DeChambeau (second round, 2019), Matthew Wolff (third round, 2019), Lucas Glover (fourth round, 2019), Beau Hossler (fourth round, 2023)
LAST TIME: Lee Hodges dominated the field at the 3M Open to win for the first time on the PGA TOUR – winning by a commanding seven shots. Hodges shot a final-round 67 to win in wire-to-wire fashion. His 260 total set the new tournament scoring record, while his seven-shot triumph was also the widest margin of victory in tournament history. Martin Laird, Kevin Streelman and J.T. Poston finished tied for second. Poston got to within three shots but went for broke on the final hole, hitting his approach at the par-5 18th into the water en route to a triple bogey.
HOW TO FOLLOW (all times ET):
Television:

• Thursday-Friday: 3:30-6:30 p.m. (Golf Channel)
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE ON ESPN+
PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main feed: Primary tournament coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee group: New “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured groups: Traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Spanish-language main feed: Primary tournament coverage presented in Spanish featuring the best action from across the course
• Spanish-language featured group: PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups presented in Spanish

Radio on SiriusXM and free at PGATOUR.com/liveaudio:

• Thursday-Friday: 1-6:30 p.m.
• Saturday-Sunday: 1-6 p.m.

​

Congratulations again to last weeks winners @Bill From Tampa @Mrs BFT and @RancheroNole

Mrs BFT maintains the overall season lead after another win. @Bill From Tampa makes the top 2 a family affair with his win at The Open

According to D1Baseball's transfer portal tracker, two more members of the 2024 team entered the portal today in pitcher Yoel Tejeda Jr. and first baseman Lance Trippel.

Tejeda, who transferred in from Florida last offseason, had a 5.95 ERA with 17 walks over 19.2 innings.

Trippel, who played two seasons at FSU, saw his role decrease this season with just 13 games played and eight at-bats. In his final appearance as a Seminole, he delivered the walk-off hit to help FSU beat Jacksonville on May 7.

I'll have a lookahead to the 2025 roster out on Saturday to turn the page from the 2024 season to the future. However, we'll have a clearer idea of the state of the roster after the MLB Draft next month.

2024 transfer departures

Justin Best
Spencer Butt
Matty Davis
James Hankerson Jr.
Riley Jackson
Titan Kamaka
DeAmez Ross
Yoel Tejeda Jr.
Lance Trippel
Matt Sauser

2025 transfer additions

C Nathan Cmeyla (Dartmouth)
RHP Evan Chrest (Jacksonville)
CF Gage Harrelson (Texas Tech)
INF/RHP Peyton Prescott (JU)
LHP Joey Volini (USF)
RHP Chris Knier (Indian River State College)
LHP Wes Mendes (Ole Miss)
RHP Maison Martinez (VCU)

Here are the Osceola staff observations from FSU's fourth preseason practice this morning, including how Micahi Danzy's speed can be a real weapon, strong days from both Brock Glenn and DJ Uiagalelei and much more.

Hear me out, just a topic for discussion, and obviously no knock on Coleman or Wilson. . .we all know how important they were to our offense last season.

But just to play devil's advocate. . .we know Travis would immediately go to them when he saw they were in single coverage, it was the game plan. More often than not, it worked, but it also possibly made us miss some other plays that may have opened up, possibly to a more open slot receiver or TE. Very often, when going to Coleman or Wilson when covered, if they made the catch, they were immediately tackled. Defenses seemed to take their chances by the end of the season in playing them single coverage and hoping to bat a ball away or make a stop, allowing them to focus taking the run away. We were undefeated. . .so our plan worked and it was not worth changing. . .but for arguments sake, could our offense been more potent had we been a bit more patient more often and tried to get the ball to a more open player?

I do feel this overall offense could, and should, actually be more difficult to contain if three receivers take the lead (which I believe they will). With the probable improved play at TE, improved play and depth on the OL, the variety of running backs, and a QB with more velocity on his throws. Having improved overall team speed and spreading the ball to a variety of positions on offense could make for an extremely potent and fun offense to watch.

I'll hang up now and hear your thoughts. . .

After making a visit to Georgia Tech on Saturday, Petty was at Florida State's morning practice on Sunday. He spent the remainder of the day with the staff before departing at around 4pm. Here is what Petty had to say on why he returned to Florida State.

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anybody ever taken the train from Chicago to ND. Just curious how long the trip is after the game

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After losing LBSU transfer Grant Cherry to the undrafted free agency, the FSU baseball team has added VCU transfer RHP Maison Martinez to its 2025 roster.

Martinez had a 2.98 ERA over 42.1 innings this past season for the Rams.

Update from Rivals' Sam Spiegelman:

Onis Konanbanny, the No. 16-ranked SAF in the Rivals250 for the 2025 class out of Columbia (S.C.) Heathwood Hall, is down to two finalists. Tennessee and Florida State headline the favorites for Konanbanny, who is aiming to have a decision made in August before his senior season kicks off.

"I feel relaxed for sure knowing it's down to two teams," Konanbanny, the No. 124 player in the Rivals250, told Rivals.

"I want to thank everybody for giving me the opportunity to play at the highest collegiate level," he continued. "These are two great schools ... schools that really cared about me throughout my whole process, that fit my style and these relationships are real ... they're relationships that will go beyond football. There's no good or bad, just a great situation at both schools."

He and his large band don’t disappoint. Chris Issac joined them.

The Osceola’s Patrick Burnham and Jerry Kutz offer their thoughts on Day 4 of Florida State’s practice, including a discussion of the quarterbacks, tight ends as well as both lines:

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Camped at The U yesterday and got the tender, but Hughes isn't expecting it to be a storyline at this time.

"Na I’m still locked in with Florida State," he said when asked if this changes anything.

Many of FSU's top players have looked the part through the first few practices of preseason camp. But who have been the under-the-radar surprises?

I examined five surprising FSU football standouts through the Seminoles' first three practices.

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