Mike Norvell shares update on FSU's injuries entering Week 0
Florida State is six days away from kicking off the 2024 campaign. On Saturday, the Seminoles will square off against Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Ireland. Ahead of the season-opener, FSU head coach Mike Norvell revealed the health status of the team.
“For the most part, we are probably as good as you could hope for going into a first game,” Norvell said. “We got a couple guys that will be kind of game-time decisions. Got a few guys that missed out. But I think, it’s going to be as good as what we could probably hope for.
“We might have a couple guys that are limited but right now, we’ll kind of see how it goes more toward the end of the week before we make any definite decisions on whether guys are available or not. But, I feel really confident about where we are going into this.”
Although Norvell declined to dive into specifics, it’s safe to assume FSU will have no shortage of talent. The Seminoles will return 58% of its production from last season for the 2024 campaign, per ESPN. Returners such as Darius Washington, Maurice Smith, Jeremiah Byers, Rob Scott will anchor FSU’s offensive line.
Meanwhile, the defensive line added Marvin Jones Jr., Tomiwa Durojaiye and Sione Lolohea this offseason, via the NCAA Transfer Portal. While the Seminoles look stout in the trenches, their linemen can’t score the ball.
Former Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei will be pivotal to FSU’s success. In his lone season with the Beavers, Uiagalelei tallied 2,638 passing yards and 21 touchdowns while only throwing seven interceptions.
In July, Norvell claimed Uiagalelei has been “remarkable” for at FSU’s practices this offseason. However, he must translate his success at practice to game days. Earlier this month, ESPN’s Pete Thamel projected FSU to be the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff.
“My pick of Florida State is because I feel like they have the best offensive and defensive lines in the ACC,” Thamel said. “Their offensive line, again, returns a ton of starters, because even the guys who are going to emerge as new kind of Day 1 starters, have played a lot for them. Darius Washington at left tackle — these guys been around forever.
“Their fronts are so sound and so solid that everything should fall into place. Obviously, it’s a little bit of a bet on DJ Uiagalelei, who’s been a very good college quarterback. He’s not been a championship college quarterback. So, will we see him emerge as that guy? I have a lot of faith in Mike Norvell‘s ability to maximize DJ.”
Florida State and Georgia Tech will face off at noon ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.