FSU Seminoles

Every Sunday, NoleNation will take a look back at the week that was around Florida State, recapping the top stories and shedding a little light on a few that might have fallen between the cracks.

With two weeks of practice in the books, the Seminoles are now just a week away from turning their full attention to Murray State and the regular season. That means there's just a week left for some of the young guns and returning veterans to prove they're ready for bigger roles this season. Here's a look at five players who have exceeded expectations during the first two weeks of fall practice.

1. Cameron Erving

OK, perhaps FSU's new left tackle hasn't exceeded expectations, but that's only because he'd already set the bar so high during the spring.

Still just seven months removed from playing on the defensive line, Erving has settled into his new role nicely. In fact, he's been so solid at the left tackle position, that virtually all the talk this fall has centered on the other side of the line, where junior college transfers Menelik Watson and Daniel Glauser have battled for reps.

But don't be fooled by the relatively minimal buzz surrounding Erving the past two weeks. He's been making his presence felt on the field.

"Cam looks like he's a three-year All-American out there," quarterback Clint Trickett said.

2. Greg Dent

The junior wide receiver opened camp with a knee injury, then suffered an elbow injury just before FSU's first scrimmage. But for all the bumps and bruises, Dent has managed to put together an exceptional two weeks of practice that has had Jimbo Fisher raving.

"Greg Dent has had the best fall of all the wideouts by far," Fisher said. "He's really established himself. … He's being consistent, he's got the juice to run away from you."

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One day after arriving to practice with his right arm in a sling, James Wilder Jr. was absent from early workouts Saturday.

Turns out, however, it was little more than a hefty dose of NyQuil that had Wilder sidelined this time.

The sophomore running back suffered a mild shoulder strain in Thursday's scrimmage, but the injury is causing Wilder more problems at night than it is during practice.

"He took some NyQuil to help him sleep and reduce the pain a little bit, and he overslept," head coach Jimbo Fisher said. "We had to send somebody [to wake him up]."

Wilder slept through his alarm, but he still managed to make it to practice in time for the bulk of the day's workouts with few problems.

When he arrived about 25 minutes late, the sling was gone, but Wilder was wearing a blue non-contact jersey. It was simply a precaution following a particularly grueling scrimmage two days earlier, Fisher said.

"He got out here to practice and took every rep, we just kept him in a blue jersey so he wasn't getting contact," Fisher said. "But that was just from how he ran [Thursday]."

Upon further review

After reviewing the tape of Thursday's scrimmage, Fisher said he was even more pleased with the performance of his offensive line than he'd been watching the workouts live.

The starting unit of Cameron Erving, Josue Matias, Bryan Stork, Tre' Jackson and Menelik Watson opened good running lanes and provided solid pass protection during the scrimmage, with the tape showing the group winning a majority of the battles against FSU's starting defensive line.

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The pace of recruiting in college football undeniably has sped up.

Once a circumstance reserved for the Texas Longhorns, many major football programs find themselves with double-digit commitment lists in the spring. Which makes it tough to wait around for official visits.

The result is a dramatic increase in importance for unofficial visits and getting prospects on campus early and often. Florida State is no exception.

These recruits, though, have to find a way to get themselves to Tallahassee on their own dime. Accommodations are not made through the school like they would be as one of their five allotted officials.

Summer football camps, also classified as an unofficial visit for those who attend, are a priority.

Evaluations are done by everyone in person in their own style with position-specific drills. The latest 2014 commitments, Jake McCrary (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) and C.J. Worton (Miami, Fla./South Dade), both camped at Florida State and ended up announcing as a direct result.

Both 2015 -- yes, 2015 -- pledges Derwin James (Auburndale, Fla./Auburndale) and DeAndre Johnson (Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast) verbaled while on unofficial visits.

Not only, then, is the Seminoles coaching staff able to showcase its program, facilities and academic buildings, they can gauge the interest of a recruit by having them show up.

On display inside the Moore Athletic Center at Doak Campbell Stadium are the 1993 and 1999 national trophies, two Heisman Trophies from Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke and banners from previous conference championships. Down the hall is the athletes' cafeteria, and on the other side is the training room and state-of-the-art weight room.

These things are all good for recruits to see, no question. But as they go to each place, it gives the coaches a chance to strengthen a relationship with the player. That time is extremely valuable.

The Seminoles coaching staff is known to be personable, as is head coach Jimbo Fisher. That evidence might lie in the top-five recruiting classes they've landed recently according to ESPN's rankings.

Because the NCAA restricts head coaches from going out on the road, save for their one allotted in-home visit down the stretch, these unofficials give Fisher a rare chance to make an impression on a face-to-face basis. And it gives him a chance to see if he will make an offer or not, he has said before.

In this new, sped-up atmosphere of recruiting that FSU lives in, unofficial visits and getting their top targets on campus could be arguably the most important facet of the process.

EJ Manuel jogged out across the practice fields Friday afternoon, tossed a football with his fellow quarterbacks for a few minutes, then joined the line of players doing warm-ups along the far sideline.

There was no limp, no walking boot and no brace on the ankle.

As Manuel high stepped his way across the field, Jimbo Fisher turned to a small contingent of reporters and smiled.

"See, I told you (Manuel) wasn't dead," he joked.

Indeed, Fisher's appraisal of Manuel's mild ankle injury was perhaps even a bit pessimistic after Thursday's practice, when he guessed it might be two or three days before the quarterback was practicing at full strength.

Instead, Manuel appeared no worse for the wear Friday as the Seminoles went through a light workout in shorts and shells.

"There wasn't no sense to push him," Fisher had said of his decision to hold Manuel out of Thursday's scrimmage. "We got a chance to push some of these other quarterbacks. If we had a game though, he'd have played."

The games are still two weeks away, and by the looks of things Friday, the minor mishap when a lineman rolled onto Manuel's ankle Wednesday will be a distant memory by then.

"We were lucky," Fisher said. "It was a freak thing, a freak accident."

Wilder, Goldman sit out

Aside from his pointed barb regarding Manuel's health, Fisher didn't address the media Friday, which leaves some questions regarding the health of running back James Wilder Jr. and defensive tackle Eddie Goldman.

Wilder reported to practice with his right arm in a sling Friday, a bit of a surprise following what seemed to be a solid performance a day earlier.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- If part of the job of being a head coach includes deftly maneuvering around the tough questions with a politically satisfactory answer, Mark Stoops has already proven he's ready for it.

There aren't many opportunities for Florida State's defensive coordinator to face the media onslaught -- head coach Jimbo Fisher limits the availability of assistants -- but Stoops is a natural.

He offers glowing reviews of his best players and still faint praise for the disappointments. He mixes high-level discussion of Xs and Os with a healthy dose of coach-speak. And when the inevitable question is finally posed about how many offers he's received for other coaching jobs, Stoops sidesteps it with ease.

"I'm just working hard to do my job to prepare myself to be the best I can be, to be a better and better coach," Stoops said. "I appreciate the structure and the organization and the leadership that I've been afforded the opportunity to be a part of. It makes me a better coach to work here."

Indeed, Stoops' first two seasons at Florida State have helped to bolster his coaching credentials and allowed him to step out from the shadow cast by three older brothers, who are all college coaches.

But as Stoops has taken Florida State's defense from 108th in the nation the year before he arrived to the No. 4 unit in the country last season, there's not a whole lot more he needs to add to his resume.

Whether Stoops wants to offer detail or not, there were coaching jobs available, according to multiple reports, and more will certainly be on the horizon should the Seminoles' defense produce another elite season in 2012. And if Florida State lives up to expectations this year, there will be more -- and better -- offers coming Stoops' way.

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On the practice fields in mid-August, everyone looks good.

Ask Jimbo Fisher who has impressed thus far, and he might parse through the bulk of his depth chart before he runs out of compliments.

It makes reading the tea leaves on position battles particularly tough this time of year, but there are the occasional hints when one player has stood out above the rest.

And so it was when Fisher was asked about freshman cornerback Ronald Darby following Thursday's first scrimmage of the fall.
Fisher eyes lit up, a broad smile crosses his face, and the truth comes out.

"I've been very pleased with him," Fisher said. "I think he's going to be a very, very good player."

Sure, Fisher has offered praise for sophomore Nick Waisome, who has taken the majority of the reps with the first-team defense thus far. Fisher has even talked up Keelin Smith, despite a knee injury that has kept him sidelined for the past week of practice.

But things are different with Darby.

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No. 12. Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

2011 stats: As part of a three-man starting rotation last season with Mike Harris and former Nole Greg Reid, Rhodes had 43 tackles (36 solo), with 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception and four pass breakups.

Previous ranking: Not ranked.

Making the case for Rhodes: At 6-foot-2, 209 pounds, Rhodes is a big, physical cover corner who should flourish in his fourth season in the program. Rhodes is the best corner on the Noles’ roster, and he has the speed and ability to change direction on a dime. He’s also got good hands and ball skills.

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