Florida State is coming off a brutal year. Coach Mike Norvell is moving forward with exuberance
'I'm extremely excited,' he said when asked about his enthusiasm.
It's easy to understand why in moving on from last year's remarkable crashout.
The Seminoles went from winning the 2023 ACC title that marked the program's first in nine years to becoming a preseason league favorite that finished last — the league's first-ever 17th-place finisher due to expansion — in a two-win season. Things got so bad that Norvell had to fire both his coordinators before the end of the season.
That led to changes that include hiring former Auburn and UCF head coach Gus Malzahn to run the offense. FSU also hired Tony White from Nebraska as defensive coordinator.
Malzahn's arrival stands out. He coached Auburn to the national title game, where the Tigers lost to FSU to cap the 2013 season, and must fix an offense that ranked among the nation's worst (270.3 yards, 15.4 points per game).
'We've experienced the highest of highs, and we've also found ourselves in a valley," Norvell said. "We've faced some disappointments. But every part of it has come back to our response. This team and this season that's ahead, I've got great expectations.'
Georgia Tech averaged 28.9 points and 424.5 yards per game last season.
'I'm excited for him, excited for the opportunity, but more excited for these players to be able to have continuity on the staff,' Key said. 'Continuity on your team, retention of your team, your roster, continuity on your coaching staff. That shows stability of a program.'
Claiborne's workload prep
New Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert is ready to lean on running back Demond Claiborne, quipping — or maybe not? — that Claiborne might get 40 carries a game.
'I mean, if he wants to give me 40, I'll take 40,' Claiborne said with a smile.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior ran for 1,049 yards and 11 scores last year. He said he's tried to take better care of his body, including more emphasis on stretching after workouts, and said he had slimmed down from about 15% body fat last year to around 13%.
'Not really too much of a difference,' Claiborne said. 'But you can definitely tell when I take my shirt off that my abs are showing a little more.'
Syracuse brought a punter?
Syracuse coach Fran Brown doesn't mind being a little different. Nor does he mind rewarding hard work.
That's why Brown invited punter Jack Stonehouse to ACC media days. Brown said he made the call because Stonehouse is one of the players on his team who best exemplifies the acronymic philosophy he calls 'DART,' or 'detailed, accountable, relentless and tough.'
'So many times coaches don't wanna do it because it's like it's not what's the norm,' Brown said. 'But it's not the norm (for Syracuse) to hire me as the head coach as a cornerbacks coach. They gave me a shot. So who am I not to bring our punter — even though he works really hard?'
Stonehouse said he was surprised by the invitation, but eager to accept it.
'I think I have shown since he's been here that I like to work hard,' Stonehouse said.
Reid eyes expanded Pitt role
It's hard to imagine Desmond Reid's role increasing after working as a running back, wide receiver and return specialist in his debut Pittsburgh season. But The Associated Press second-team All-American as an all-purpose player thinks he's capable of doing more, even as an undersized player.
'Growing up, I was always a smaller guy, so my dad always told me, don't worry about what people say about you, just do what you can do, handle what you can handle,' Reid said.
Despite his 5-foot-8, 175-pound frame, Reid rushed for a team-high 962 yards on 183 carries, tied for the team lead in receptions with 52 for 579 yards, returned punts and scored 10 total touchdowns after transferring from Western Carolina.
'He's a team guy,' Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said, 'and he's got a chest cavity filled with a big heart.'
Louisville's Watts leans into versatility
Antonio Watts is listed at linebacker for Louisville but plays more of a hybrid safety position. And he loves to show off that versatility.
'It takes a lot of trust for your coach to put you at different positions that you can play," Watts said.
Watts went from a reserve in 2023 to starting all 13 games last year, posting a career-best 51 tackles. He capped his season with a personal highlight, retreating in coverage and reaching up with his right hand to knock away Washington's attempt for a go-ahead 2-point conversion in the final seconds to preserve a 35-34 win in the Sun Bowl.
'I just like helping my team,' Watts said. 'Like, I just like being out there no matter what position. I just want to provide for my team so we can be our best.'
Up next
The ACC concludes its three-day set of preseason football media days on Thursday with Boston College, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Virginia Tech.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
8 hours ago
- USA Today
Cardinals training camp: CB Garrett Williams getting work outside
Garrett Williams could become an every-down player with the injury to Star Thomas. The season-ending injury to cornerback Star Thomas V brought a new and exciting wrinkle to the Arizona Cardinals' defense in training camp on Sunday. We might get to see even more from Garrett Williams in 2025, who became one of the better slot cornerbacks in the league last year. With Thomas on injured reserve, Williams is now getting work outside. Williams has played almost exclusively in the slot in the season and a half he has played (he missed the first half of his rookie season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in his final season at Syracuse), but many have wondered if he could also play and succeed on the outside. If Sunday's practice is a preview of what the regular season will be, Williams will be an every-down player and will play both inside and out. Could this be similar to what happened with Byron Muprhy? Murphy was used almost exclusively as the Cardinals' nickel corner, but injuries forced him to play more outside, where he has flourished. Playing Williams in base downs would give the defense a little more experience on the field. Otherwise, it would be Max Melton, who played less than 600 snaps as a rookie last season, and rookie Will Johnson in base downs. It will be something to watch as training camp continues and the preseason begins. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Chicago Tribune
9 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
3 City Series takeaways for the Chicago Cubs — including Nico Hoerner's baseball IQ — as they head to Milwaukee
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell went into Sunday's series finale at Rate Field hoping to get four innings from Ben Brown. The right-hander, looking to move past a bad outing Monday, produced one of his best starts of the year in the Cubs' 5-4 win over the White Sox. Daniel Palencia recorded his first four-out save, taking over after Andrew Benintendi's three-run home run in the eighth. Pete Crow-Armstrong's two-run double in the first gave the Cubs a lead that for most of the day wasn't threatened. 'He gave us exactly what we needed, and he came up big time, for sure,' Counsell said of Brown. Brown allowed one run in five innings without walking a batter, limited the Sox to three hits and struck out four on 57 pitches. Benintendi's home run in the first inning was the only blemish. 'The curveball has just really been taking a step up,' Brown said. 'It's encouraging to see swings-and-misses, especially first and second, no outs. Those are some of the at-bats I've struggled with this year. I haven't done a good job minimizing damage or stopping the rally and being able to get the strikeout is something that I need as part of my game.' With the series victory, there are three takeaways from the Cubs' performance in the City Series. Nico Hoerner's baseball instincts and IQ are among his best attributes as one of the Cubs' best all-around players. That was on display against the Sox, especially during Sunday's series finale. Hoerner found multiple ways to positively impact the game for the Cubs: offensively, defensively and with heads-up play. Hoerner suckered Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa into attempting to advance by deliberately letting a popup fall to the ground in the third after the umpire signaled for an infield fly with runners on first and second. When Sosa took off for third, Hoerner easily picked up the ball and threw him out for an inning-ending double play. 'You're kind of always running through plays in your head and things that might happen and things that really only happen maybe once a season or less,' Hoerner said. 'But it's fun when that stuff lines up and we've got a group that likes talking the game. And so it's really satisfying to get extra outs like that.' The double play gave Brown a big lift. 'I'm just super grateful that Nico's a teammate and the baseball IQ out of him is, I mean, it's Nico, it's just the way he is,' Brown said. 'It's through his veins, through his blood, like baseball, and no surprise, what he did there.' Hoerner later turned a mistake into a positive for the Cubs when he was caught off first base on a back pick play. He forced a rundown causing Happ, on second, to go to third during the sequence. As Happ started to head home, the Sox abandoned Hoerner to try to get Happ. But as Happ retreated to third, he trucked into Colson Montgomery, who was in the basepath and called for obstruction to bring Happ home for what proved to be the decisive run. Hoerner also forced Sox pitchers to work Sunday. His second-inning single off Sox right-hander Sean Burke capped a 14-pitch at-bat, and then he fought back from a 1-2 count in the eighth against reliever Mike Vasil for a nine-pitch walk. The Cubs have given Matt Shaw plenty of opportunities to prove he should be their everyday third baseman the rest of the season. After regrouping during the All-Star break and tweaking his stance, Shaw has taken off. Whether it will be enough to prevent the Cubs from acquiring an external, more proven offensive upgrade won't be known until the trade deadline passes at 5 p.m. Thursday. But Shaw is certainly making a case, beyond his stellar defensive work at third. Shaw's RBI double in the sixth Sunday extended his hit streak to nine games, all after the All-Star break. In that stretch, Shaw is 12-for-27 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and just one strikeout. The rookie credits the mental reset and an adjustment to his batting stance — standing slightly more open — which he experimented with off a tee before the second half resumed, for helping him get on track. 'Mentally just kind of letting things happen and not pressing and putting a lot of pressure on myself, and just kind of playing with a little more freedom,' Shaw explained of his recent production. '(The coaching staff) has done a good job of continuing to believe in me, and so it allows me to go out there and play. 'I think I put a lot of pressure on myself, and I just realized that I'm motivated, and I love this game. I like playing the game. I don't need to add pressure.' The Cubs' offense becomes deeper again with how well Shaw has been hitting in the nine-spot, especially with Happ and Kyle Tucker scuffling lately. Left-hander Matthew Boyd's spot in the rotation was pushed back one day to align him to get the ball in a big series this week in Milwaukee. The Cubs enter the three-game set that starts Monday night at American Family Field tied with the Brewers at the top of the division for the best record in the National League. They have done a good job not looking too far ahead, but there is no mistaking the importance of the next three days. The Cubs have put themselves in a great position, particularly with reinforcements expected to arrive soon with the trade deadline on Thursday. The Cubs will start Boyd, right-hander Colin Rea and left-hander Shota Imanaga against the Brewers, who will send right-handers Jacob Misiorowski, Quinn Priester and Freddy Peralta to the mound. 'It's two teams that are playing really well, that have postseason aspirations and it feels like we're gonna be battling for the division,' Counsell said. 'It's still July, but these are big games. … We're going to go face a good baseball team and on the road, it's a big challenge and a fun challenge.'
New York Times
15 hours ago
- New York Times
Astros GM Dana Brown says Isaac Paredes' injury is ‘more severe than we projected'
HOUSTON — The right hamstring strain suffered by Houston Astros All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes 'is a little bit more severe than we projected,' general manager Dana Brown said on Sunday afternoon, accentuating the team's need for more offense at Thursday's trade deadline. Brown said Paredes is seeking a second opinion and the team should know more about his prognosis within the week. Paredes has not been spotted at Daikin Park since he suffered the injury on July 19 against the Seattle Mariners. Advertisement 'It's tough to be optimistic when you know it's more severe,' Brown told the team's pregame radio show on Sunday. Paredes is one of a major-league high nine Astros position players currently on the injured list. Five of them, including Paredes, were in Houston's Opening Day lineup. Paredes has perhaps the most serious injury of that quintet. Brown's comments on Sunday must prompt serious concern whether Paredes will return this season — a reality that could alter Brown's approach as Thursday's trade deadline approaches. Earlier this week, Brown said the team is 'prioritizing the bats' while also remaining in the market for a starting pitcher. Acquiring both would be an ideal deadline, but Houston's lack of top-end prospect capital will make it difficult to win any bidding wars against other buyers. Few available players would be able to offset Paredes' absence. The pull-happy third baseman leads the Astros' lineup with 19 home runs and trails only injured shortstop Jeremy Peña for the team lead in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage. 'We're still looking for a left-handed bat, so that didn't change,' Brown told the team's pregame radio show on Sunday. 'If it's an infielder, great. If it's an outfielder, we'll take that as well. It really didn't change much, it's just more of a preference to be an infielder now.' Utilityman Mauricio Dubón has started six of the Astros' eight games at third base since Paredes' injury. Second base also remains in flux after Jose Altuve accepted a position change to left field this winter, though Brown has intimated the club could move Altuve back to second base if it acquires an outfielder at the deadline.
