Mike Norvell shares plan for Edwin Joseph's role

Florida State goes into the 2023 season with some major aspirations, and the ‘Noles have had a way of getting young players involved under Mike Norvell. So what’s the plan for Edwin Joseph, a talented freshman athlete?

Coach Mike Norvell revealed this week that Joseph will line up in the secondary to start.

“We’re going to start him off at nickel,” Norvell said. “I mean really that’s, I think, we have a lot of versatility within our defensive backfield. Edwin’s got a great skillset. I think you saw that today even just his movements, playmaking ability, all of that.”

The plan for Edwin Joseph is to capture as much of his ability as possible at a spot on the field where it can help Florida State the most. There are certainly options.

Joseph was a four-star prospect out of Chaminade-Madonna, where he played both sides of the ball.

He helped his high school team win back-to-back state championships, catching 40 passes for 661 yard and eight touchdowns as a senior on offense. Defensively, he logged 19 tackles, 2.0 tackles for a loss, two interceptions and nine pass breakups.

He can do it all, as evidenced by his ranking as the No. 11 athlete in the 2023 class. So the plan for Edwin Joseph is to get him up to speed as quickly as possible.

“He’s going to have a very bright future and part of it is just to make sure he gets as many reps as he possibly can in fall camp to see exactly where he is,” Norvell said. “Started well the first day.”

Jordan Travis enjoying his new targets

While Edwin Joseph gets acclimated on the defensive side of the ball, veteran starting quarterback Jordan Travis is doing the same on the other end. Not so much himself, but with his new targets.

Florida State landed two impact pass-catching transfers this offseason, snagging Michigan State wideout Keon Coleman and South Carolina standout tight end Jaheim Bell.

“Yeah, they’re very talented players. We’re thankful to have them. It makes my job a lot easier,” Travis said. “I always got to get more consistent. That was the thing today. I feel like we weren’t consistent enough, me, the rest of the quarterbacks, the receivers, with timing. We just got to get the timing down. I mean, it’s the first day, I’m glad it’s the first day. It’s gonna take steps.”

Florida State will open its season with a tough test, against LSU on Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Florida State won last year’s meeting.