Justin Cryer ended Florida State's second spring scrimmage with a bang on Saturday.
In a simulated overtime period, the rising junior linebacker came on a blitz on a fourth-and-goal play, knocked over the running back that was trying to block him and "sacked" freshman quarterback Kevin Sperry to keep the offense out of the end zone and end a day which was handily won by the FSU defense on a high note.
It was a nice summation of what was an impactful scrimmage laden with plays made by numerous players in the Seminoles' linebacker unit. That group has continued to earn praise from the FSU coaching staff this spring and backed it up in the only media availability of spring camp on Saturday.
"I like watching that group work together," Norvell said after the scrimmage of FSU's linebacker room. "That is a room that we need to continue to take big steps in and I'm seeing a great response."
This is now Tony White's third time arriving at a school as the new defensive coordinator and installing his 3-3-5 defense. As such, the new head of the FSU defense has a good idea of what he's looking for in terms of players he's inheriting and what type of players he'll need to bring in as he makes the transition.
Upon his arrival, it didn't take White too long to realize the linebacker room was in the best spot for what he would need, with returning players like Cryer and Blake Nichelson entering their third seasons while Omar Graham Jr. reversed his transfer portal decision to return for his fourth season.
"That linebacker group, that was probably the first group when I got here and started solving the defense, that group felt the closest initially," White said on Saturday.
With only three true defensive linemen in the traditional 3-3-5 defense, it certainly puts a lot of responsibility on the linebackers in a variety of ways. They're often used as surprising blitzers in a defense that is based around hiding where the pressure if coming from. They must be stout against the run. They also must be capable in coverage, an occasional problem for FSU's linebacker unit over Adam Fuller's last few seasons leading the defense.
Those same linebackers made plays in a variety of ways on Saturday. Cryer broke up an attempted screen pass and added a few tackles in addition to his sack. Graham had a few tackles where he covered a lot of ground out to the perimeter of the field to get in on a tackle.
"You feel the cohesiveness of that group. You feel the competition in that group," Norvell said. "When you're playing a great number of plays with three guys out there on the field, it takes that versatility. It is a versatile group that can do a lot of different things and I like how they're working together."
Of the three transfer linebackers FSU brought in this offseason, two of them also stood out on Saturday. While UNC transfer Caleb LaVallee is out for the rest of spring due to injury, Elijah Herring made an impact play in a scrimmage for the second straight week, essentially handing an interception he was trying to make on a tipped screen to KJ Sampson while he was falling down.
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