There has been a lot of talk about what Tony White’s 3-3-5 defense will look like once the ball gets spotted on Aug. 30. Summer OTAs and player-led workouts have concluded as the defense is almost fully installed. Versatility, flexibility, dynamic — all were buzzwords that we heard when talking to defensive assistants prior to the first day of fall camp.
“The way Tony runs it is a little bit different than traditional 3-3-5 defenses,” defensive line coach Terrance Knighton told The Osceola. “Some coaches run it where they have big style guys with the traditional 3-4 body types. With us we have more dynamic guys up front that can move, are strong and can play multiple positions. It was a new defense to me — I had played in an odd front and seen odd fronts — but playing with guys that are more athletic and dynamic was different for me.”
“It can turn into a 4-2-5, it can turn into a 5-1. There are a lot of different things you can do. That’s why I was putting an emphasis on versatility with the guys up front. You need to have linebackers that can rush and defensive ends that can drop,” Knighton added.
But the defense is also one that, despite its various presentations and fronts, allows for a streamlined learning process.
“The defense allows you to learn in concepts,” White explained to the media on Tuesday. “It’s not so much about memorizing individual performances and jobs, it’s more ‘Hey, I learned a concept and from this concept I can learn other concepts.’ When you learn the concept, you are learning two or three jobs at once vs. ‘If this defensive call is against this set, I need to make this call.’ It’s a lot of memorization. But I think the defense’s versatility allows for guys to understand concepts of what we are doing conceptually so that way even if they don’t know exactly what to do, they can understand by the pieces around them.”
Installing the final pieces of the defense this fall will be similar to how the team first practiced those concepts in the spring. This time, there will be a focus more on individual adjustments for personnel.
“Now it’s about the players,” White said. “It’ll be for specific players where we say, ‘He is going to start here but we need to teach him how to be here just in case something happens - (either) injuries or if we go to different packages and he needs a different skillset.’ We are going to do that with a certain set of guys and move them around.”
Darrell Jackson has a chance to be the best DT in the country
Sure, the same could have said (and was) last year. Much has been made about the hunger that Jackson has shown with the mulligan he is being provided by opting for one final season as a Seminole. By all accounts, he has made good on that chance with his work over the summer.
“He’s a house. He’s big, he is athletic, has great feet and strong hands. He is a very smart football player and I think that’s an underrated trait that people don’t realize. They don’t realize how smart he is and his football IQ. He is a football guy and it’s hard to find those type of guys these days with NIL that are strictly football guys,” Knighton said.
It was always understood how freakish of an athlete Jackson was. Now he has a chance to start off the season on the right foot.
“I haven’t seen anyone like him and I coached two really good defensive tackles this last year that went to the draft. I don’t think there is a better defensive tackle in the country,” Knighton said.
Jayson Jenkins is ahead of schedule, potential to be a real factor on the line
Tennessee transfer Jayson Jenkins missed almost all of the spring with a lower leg injury and has been ferociously rehabbing to be able to play this season. Jenkins is ahead of schedule and coach Mike Norvell said he’s expected to return to the practice field by the middle of camp.
He has the intangibles to be a really impactful part of a revamped defensive line.
“He’s 6-6 and 280 pounds. He’s twitchy, can move, athletic, long… those are the type of defensive ends that can play on Sundays,” White said. “We just have to make sure that his plan to return is correct and just getting him back to a point where he truly trusts it and is strong enough to turn him lose into some of those games … I just want to do him right and make sure he is mentally ready, physically ready and has that confidence to go out there and just play.”
Linebackers embracing scheme change, new faces
Linebacker was a position that saw a lot of growth over the course of last season. Now it returns a bunch of familiar, experienced faces and has added some additional depth in the portal. While one may think that a position group returning multiple starters last year would have ruffled feathers about the transfer additions, linebackers coach John Papuchis says the opposite is the case.
“The guys who are returning — Omar (Graham), Blake (Nichelson), Juice (Cryer) - have done a tremendous job of embracing what the new scheme is all about and welcoming the guys that were new to the room into the room. From the outside there could be an idea that there would be some push back or animosity anytime you bring in guys (from the portal) that are playing the same position or role but there has been none of that,” Papuchis said.
Transitioning from a 4-2-5 defense to a 3-3-5 defense, there is greater responsibility being put on the linebackers. This added responsibility requires more flexibility between positions.
“What I want from our room is to have as much flexibility as we can possibly have,” Papuchis said. “That is what creates the depth. We need to have guys that know how to play 2-to-3 different positions within the room so that way as the season goes on we can make decision about who are the best three and then again who are the next best three regardless of position.
The SAM linebacker will need to have multiplicity and will primarily be on the line of scrimmage — either working off the ball or pass rushing. The MIKE and WILL linebackers will be the more traditional linebackers. Stefon Thompson has been earmarked as the guy with the most experience in White’s scheme and he has the most experience at SAM. Papuchis described Thompson as a third coach in the linebacker room. Elijah Herring has played SAM but will primarily play MIKE at Florida State. It’s that reason, Papuchis says, that Herring chose FSU out of the portal to begin with. Juice Cryer and Blake Nichelson should work at WILL and/or SAM.
“There is a real maturity in our room. I think everyone understands it’s going to take the whole room for us to be successful and it’s been a fun group to work with,” Papuchis said.
The ‘Rover’ safety role was made for Earl Little Jr.
There has been a ton of chatter privately and publicly about just how good Earl Little Jr. can be this season if everything falls into place. He was a popular talking point once again on Tuesday, as he was mentioned by both White and defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain.
“This year he is a totally different person and I think it’s good for him,” Surtain said of Little. “This is really the first offseason where he isn’t doing any rehab or anything. He is a pro, he knows what he needs to do this year to fulfill his ultimate dream. He has become a leader in the secondary. He’s not really a vocal leader but he leads by example. He has had a great spring and great summer. We are excited about what he is going to do in the fall.”
The rover position in the 3-3-5 defense is a position that has created a lot of memorable draft picks. The coaching staff sees no reason why Little cannot reach that level if things fall into place this season.
“I understand his history in college football but his skillset and his ability with being around some draft choices and some guys who played NFL football. I see that in him,” White said.
“We’ve had some draft choices there. Bryan Urlacher, Quincy Black, Nat Berhe — we’ve had some NFL guys playing that position and Earl is as dynamic as them all. He is explosive, aggressive, physical, smart. I think the role (Rover) was built for him. So now it’s about getting him to be all of that on the grass when it’s needed.”
#MissionTakeaway Redux
Florida State struggled to generate takeaways last season. Even with a lockdown corner in Azareye’h Thomas, the Seminoles only generated four interceptions all season. With a defense that is more known for stopping the run, how will that affect Florida State’s secondary and their ability to generate takeaways?
Surtain seems to believe their opportunities will increase.
“In the past couple of years, even though we had some really really good defenses, it didn’t allow us to make plays because our back was always to the ball because we played so much press man,” Surtain said. “Now we can allow guys to use their instincts, use their eyes and go make plays. That’s why you come to Florida State. That’s why we recruit the way we do. We want to recruit the best athletes that have the ability to make plays and I think this defense will allow them to do that.”
Jeremiah Wilson was mentioned multiple times as someone that can be a real ballhawk. The Houston transfer is someone that was praised for his instincts and decisiveness in the moment. Mistakes will happen but there is no hesitation to make plays.
“He is a ball of light. He is all football. He cares about his teammates, he loves Florida State. He is the first one in, last one out kind of guy. He is still the same young man that he was at Syracuse,” White said of Wilson. “He added some pounds, his hair grew out, he’s a little uglier (laughs). But he is still a guy who is all football, all family, all brotherhood — all everything that there is about the process.”
Behind Little, there interestingly could be some serious competition this fall for playing time. Shyheim Brown was out with a foot injury during the spring and that has allowed others to jump up.
Ja’Bril Rawls was praised for his progress during the spring and that continued through the summer, but there are others that are looking to take that next step.
“He has shown that he has the ability to be a really, really good defensive back,” White said. “He is loose-hipped, he can see the ball and is aggressive on it. Now is his chance, right? We’ve got a lot of guys that fit that very mold. Earl, Ja’Bril, Q (Quindarrius Jones). We have a lot of guys that athletically can do it; Now it is truly their chance to go out and shine.”
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