The message from Florida State offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has been consistent, if not a bit monotone. The Seminoles have been trying to make up ground in the first two weeks of fall camp and the emphasis has been on creating continuity with not only a new offense, but 11 new starters operating that new offense.

Florida State took part in their second scrimmage of the fall on Sunday in both the IPF and in Doak Campbell Stadium, where the offense continued to create depth with live reps.

Luckily, more of those reps came inside of Doak this time as the team got in roughly 100 plays on the grass of Bobby Bowden Field.

“It was good to evaluate our guys and see where we are at as a unit overall. See who is ready to play; see who needs more work. We are still in the process of developing our foundation now that the offensive line is a little bit more intact,” Malzahn began his presser on Monday afternoon. “We are working hard on developing depth. That’s a big key for us. We have a lot of inexperienced guys and we need those guys to grow up really quick.”

One of those young players is true freshman quarterback Kevin Sperry, who ran with the second-team on Sunday night.

Redshirt sophomore Brock Glenn was held back from participating in the first scrimmage, being cited by coach Mike Norvell as being a bit banged up. Whether Glenn was held again due to injury or Sperry was elevated in order to get more reps with the second team is unclear.

Jayvan Boggs was name-dropped once again by Malzahn as a younger player that was excelling. Micahi Danzy flashed for the second consecutive scrimmage with a short passing play that he turned into an explosive gain with his legs.

Young skill position players are getting opportunities to get more playing time and, thus far, it seems that they are taking advantage of it.

“After two scrimmages, it’s pretty clear who is ready to play right now and who needs the work,” Malzahn said. “I think that’s big from a coaching standpoint — just communicating with the guys and being honest about where we are at. And having a specific plan for those guys that need to step up and showing them what needs to happen for them to be a part (of) and help the team.”

Turnovers, but response from Tommy Castellanos

Interceptions have been Castellanos’ Achilles heel of sorts over his career. His final year at Boston College last season saw a drop in those numbers yet it’s still a storyline to earmark.

After an explosive play to start Sunday’s scrimmage, Castellanos threw an interception — one where his throwing lane was interrupted by linebacker Elijah Herring and subsequently intercepted by Jeremiah Wilson.

Castellanos then responded with multiple scoring drives with the offense. One of them was a deep shot to Squirrel White that resulted in a touchdown.

“I thought Tommy had a really good night. You could see him really settle into the things he is being asked to do,” Norvell said of Castellanos. “The development of him as a total and compete quarterback is something that I’m excited we are seeing. He plays with a great energy, you can feel his presence on the field with the guys around him. I thought he did great things with his arm and being able to push the ball down the field.”

“You don’t ever want a mistake but sometimes you need to see what’s real because you aren’t going to be mistake-free,” he later added.

It’s important to put it in perspective. Defensive coordinator Tony White felt like once again there could have been the potential for more interceptions on Sunday night. But that being said, the response is what you want to see.

Even to someone like Malzahn who has known him longer than anyone else on the staff.

“He’s come a long way. Over all the scrimmages, besides the one (interception), he has handled the ball really well,” Malzahn said. “There have been a lot of different looks in practice. I think overall he has handled that well with protecting the football. He’s a veteran guy. Not putting the ball in jeopardy, knowing where to miss, knowing your aiming point. He has grown in those areas.”

Practice-by-practice improvement on offensive line

There is some trepidation about the offensive line. Not because they aren’t experienced or talented, but because they are behind. But there has been steady build-up as Malzahn and Norvell have noted that you can see the chemistry develop on a practice-to-practice basis.

“It’s been more practice to practice,” Malzahn said. “You’ve got five new guys up there each day working together and communicating together. Our defensive front has thrown a lot of different looks at them so that communication and growth is happening every day … We improved from scrimmage one to scrimmage two but still the reality is that was the first time those guys had been working together in 11 practices so we have to do better in communicating and working together.”

The depth is where things get more difficult. That depth was helped as Jacob Rizy took live reps on Sunday for the first time since his injury during the spring. Rizy was considered a multi-year project when Florida State added him in the portal and was expected to be in the conversation as a top reserve at the very least prior to the spring. It’s a key development that he is starting to get live reps again. But of course the emphasis is on the top five guys.

“I think we are seeing them coming along. They are moving more in-sync with each practice and I think that confidence is building,” Norvell said. “It’s an experienced group, just not experienced together. As they are growing through each practice, you can see the trust that they are earning with each other. Whether it’s through different games that they are facing or different alignments that might show up. They are executing at a high level.”

The fall (camp) of Kromah continues

True freshman Ousmane Kromah continues to be a lightning rod of speculation this pre-season. The buzz for the physically impressive Lee County product has continued to grow through the first 10 practices.

So much so that the hype-train for Kromah has progressed from mere excitement about the future at the start of camp, to the thought that we might see Kromah even sooner than we expected. It’s hard not to fall in love with the idea of playing your exciting freshman too early. But Kromah has continued to earn more praise, including props from Norvell following multiple touchdowns in the red-zone work that was done during Sunday’s scrimmage.

“I’ve said this throughout, the separating factor is that you’re not going to do it with just one back,” Norvell commented on his running back room. “But who is going to separate themselves to be the one or be a guy who is going to force the time or the priority in what they are doing. You have to be complete in that. You have to do it with the ball in your hands, you have to do it without the ball in your hands.”

Kromah certainly has done it. Between a noted violent pass pro block during the first scrimmage and multiple instances of acclaimed production through the first 10 practices, you got to start wondering if we were underselling the idea of early playing time for Kromah. And the potential of what he can be, is something that FSU’s coaches have gushed about since he signed.

For now, FSU will continue to build Kromah up.

“We are throwing a lot of new installs (at him),” Malzahn said. “We’ve been kind of slowly working him in with different groups and even with the 1’s some to see how he would react. So far so good. He is very talented; I think everybody knows that. He’s learning to play without the ball in college and he is a fast learner with that. Overall, he has progressed at a good level so far.”

Thanks for reading the Osceola. Subscribe here for less than $70 a year to enjoy all of our premium stories — and receive a $25 Alumni Hall e-gift card