Elijah Herring painted a picture of the potential for Florida State’s offense — one where the Seminoles could make big plays. And then he portrayed an image of a Seminole giving the effort that is necessary for FSU’s defense to limit those big plays.
“The offense gave us a real freaky formation, something that you only see during the season,” Herring said. “We were a little bit confused. I was confused.”
Herring described the pass play and run after the catch, with the Memphis transfer taking the angle, tracking down and making a tackle at the 10-yard line. This play reflects the best of both worlds in Saturday's scrimmage, one where a formation causes confusion and allows for a playmaker to get open — but then allow the defense to learn how to collectively improve and see the value in a stop short of the goal line.
"I tell guys that you never know when your effort is going to be the deciding factor in the game," FSU coach Mike Norvell said. "That was an effort play that ended up springing a game-changing play. He’s someone I’m really pleased with."
FSU’s defense wasn’t happy to give up the big play. But the Seminoles were motivated by what Herring showed.
“Extra effort play, just don’t give up on the play,” Herring said. “Give us one more play and we’ll show you what we can do with it.”
A play later, defensive back Earl Little Jr. got an interception and returned it for a touchdown. Lesson learned and a good result for the defense.
“And then after that we caused the turnover,” Herring said. “That just shows that I care for the game. I want to be on the field, I want to get off the field, I want to be able to make big plays.”
Herring has been making plays for the last two seasons, accumulating 80 tackles as a sophomore at Tennessee in 2023 and then 60 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two interceptions at Memphis in 2024. He has played in 37 games (starting 23), including a bowl win over West Virginia in December where he recorded 10 tackles, an interception and forced a fumble.
While it appears Herring isn’t the most vocal of players, his actions have spoken on the field.
“He’s Mr. Quiet Confident,” FSU defensive coordinator Tony White said. “He’s been there, done that, played at the highest levels. You just see as he gets acclimated to how we do things here, he’s starting to come out. He’s not a big rah rah guy, but he’s a guy you feel him, you feel his presence on the grass. That’s his time to let loose.
“He made a couple plays today (Saturday) where you’re like ‘That’s pretty big-time football right there.’ It’s fun that he gets a chance to have this rejuvenation about him. For his path and everything that he’s gone through, for him to come over here and truly enjoy what he’s doing and making plays for his teammates, I think the more plays he makes I think you’ll start to see more of his personality come out.”
Herring said he has been bouncing between a few positions at linebacker “to see ...
