It’s been an offseason of firsts for Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher. He’s given his first interview as head coach, reeled in his first recruiting class and held his first spring game—among many other first-time experiences.
As the calendar turns to the dog days of August, Fisher is now going through another first as the man in charge: his first fall camp.
Fall camp is one of the most important parts of the offseason, as it marks the final tune-up before the season kicks off in September, and is the first time since spring the coaching staff is allowed to lead the team’s practices.
Fisher and company have been working hard since camp commenced on Aug. 5, and so far, the first-year coach likes what he’s seen, but admits there is still a lot of work to be done before the Seminoles’ Sept. 4 opener against Samford.
“We’re making a lot of strides, but we’re nowhere close to where we need to be,” Fisher said. “The guys are working, they’re taking to coaching and fixing things—not making the same mistakes they’ve been making every day.”
One of the reasons for Fisher’s optimism has been the performance of his team’s defense in camp.
After experiencing one of the worst defensive seasons in school history a year ago, Fisher has noticed the unit is playing “with a chip on its shoulder” through the midway point of camp and is coming along nicely under new defensive coordinator Mark Stoops. Fisher is especially high on the secondary’s play, which many people have labeled as a question mark heading into the season.
“I really like our secondary,” Fisher said. “I think our secondary is making a lot of progress and they’re doing some great things. Up front [on defense], we’re learning to play with a lot more technique. Overall, defensively, I’ve seen a lot more consistency, [and] taking advantage of turnovers when they get them.”
Cornerback Ochuko Jenije has had a big say in the good impression the secondary has left on Fisher.
A senior and the secondary’s lone returning starter, Jenije echoed his coach’s thoughts on how the secondary and team has performed well so far through camp, but admitted there is still a lot of room for improvement.
“We’ve had a pretty good fall camp so far, but we’re not [as good as we can be] yet,” Jenije said. “We have a long way to go—still got three weeks to go before Samford. But as of right now, we’re doing pretty good.”
Jenije has also been impressed with how the new recruiting class has handled their first fall camp, emphasizing how prepared they are for each practice and their willingness to learn and get better.
“They’ve responded a lot better than my class did when we were freshmen,” Jenije said. “They know what to expect and they come in ready to go.
“For the [defensive backs], you have LaMarcus Joyner, Chad Abrams, [and] Terrence Brooks. Those freshmen are coming in and stepping up like they’ve been there before. [Overall] the freshmen are doing a great job adjusting to college life.”
Junior offensive tackle Andrew Datko has also noticed the boost of energy the freshmen have brought to the team during camp, but says they do need an occasional pick-me-up from the veteran Seminoles during practices in the brutal, Florida heat.
“They’ve been excited and going full-speed,” Datko said. “As these days are coming here in the middle [of camp], they’re feeling kind of down and tired. You’ve just got to tell them to take it one day at a time and to keep pushing, and they’re doing better.”
One thing both the newcomers and experienced ’Noles need to improve is their consistency in practice, as mastering that should transfer over to success on Saturdays this fall.
“Consistently inconsistent” could be perhaps the perfect way to describe Florida State for the past decade, and Jenije feels the only way to erase that stigma is to maximize their time spent on the practice field.
“We need to be consistent every single day,” Jenije said. “We know what we’re doing—we’ve just got to stay focused and do what we’re supposed to do every single play.
“We just have to keep getting better every day.”