All eyes were on new Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, and he did not disappoint. The former Oregon State and Clemson quarterback is now at his third school after revitalizing his career in 2023 with the Beavers.
Now with Florida State, Uiagalelei looked good for a spring game. He had a few miscues, including a near-pick that was dropped. But, overall he looked good. Uiagalelei showed a lot of comfort in the pocket and showed off his significant arm strength with a few shots down field. However, where he really shined was on the shorter throws as he showed some improved accuracy.
Uiagalelei is also helped by his stellar and veteran offensive line, which helps the run game as well. The greatness of the o-line was proven further as the ‘Noles run game looked good. Lawrance Toafili, Roydell Williams, and Caziah Holmes were all able to find the end zone.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the new-look ‘Noles. The main goal of every spring game is to come out of it healthy. But, that doesn’t always happen as football is a rough and violent sport.
A key piece for the ‘Noles is Alabama transfer Malik Benson. Benson was helped off the field and into the medical tent after sustaining an injury and was later carted off the field.
Benson, a wide receiver who was is being touted as the ‘Noles No. 1 guy, was rolled up on during a run play after setting a block. As of right now, the only word on Benson’s injury is that his left foot was hurt on the play. TJ Ferguson and Caziah Holmes were also injured and helped off the field.
A bright spot for Florida State outside of their good looking o-line and quarterback play was tight end Jackson West. The redshirt-junior out of Huntsville, Alabama, looked very good, making a couple of solid catches that included an extremely athletic off balance snag. He may be one to watch as fall approaches.
