Tony White wanted to get out of the way and let his players compete during Florida State football’s spring scrimmage Saturday.
The Seminoles’ defensive unit responded with a performance that FSU’s defensive coordinator said was good and filled with “teaching moments.” Safety Earl Little Jr. and linebacker Ethan Pritchard both recorded pick-sixes, and Elijah Herring had a hustle play that White labeled “big-time football’ as it set up an interception.
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It was the first time that White and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn got the chance to implement their new schemes in a game scenario since joining FSU. White feels the players are buying into his system and working hard to understand its intricacies.
“In terms of the players-wise, I think they’re doing a really nice job. Moreso, not only the times that they have to show up because in college football they have to show up 20 hours a week, right? They got their 20 hours and they got to do it, and they got to show up, and they think that that’s doing something,” White said.
“But you see a lot of guys in the building. You see a lot of guys on their extra time coming up and hanging out in the building, going one-on-one, coaches meetings. At any point in time, you’ll see numerous guys up in there, bringing their lunch. Trying to get in extra film, extra classroom work.
“That right there tells me that we’re on the right path. Still got a long way to go, but whenever the players do that and buy in and find time to do the extra things like that, that tells me that you’re reaching them in a way that’s like, ‘Ok, it will have positive dividends later on.”
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White’s 3-3-5 system requires a unique blend of different skillsets. It’s adaptable, and no two iterations of the defense look the same. And that’s down to the talent White has at his disposal.
He likes the Seminoles‘ current roster and their ability to respond to the teaching moments that happen during practice.
White mentioned there was a red-zone period last practice where the defense allowed a lot of touchdowns. In response, he had a detailed film session with the unit and reminded them of what they needed to do, and that response was on display in the scrimmage, according to White.
“One of the biggest plays today, we gave up a big, big play, and Elijah (Herring) chases a guy down 30 or 40 yards. He chased him down, got him down on the 10,” White said. “The very next play, we intercept the ball. So, teaching moments like that are huge and necessary. Got a chance to see that on display.
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“I think the biggest thing today was giving them a chance to get the coaches out of the way and everybody off the field and let them operate.”
White has high praise for FSU defensive backs, linebackers
FSU football players walk into the first spring practice of the spring season on Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Both White and head coach Mike Norvell mentioned a few names that have stood out during spring practice.
Among the names is defensive back Ja’Bril Rawls. The redshirt sophomore has impressed with multiple interceptions and pass breakups, according to White and Norvell, and he’s playing with high energy.
“He plays confident,” White said. “Athletic ability aside… for him, it’s making sure that he knows the assignments and he goes out there and plays consistently, the way he’s supposed to play.”
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White said that he and Norvell are finding ways to maximize on the athletic potential of the defense, with guys like Rawls seeing the benefits of that.
White said he was happy with the play of the defensive backs, but he wants to see their athletic talents translate into performance on the field.
“We’re plenty big, athletic, strong, twitchy, fast, explosive, all the things you want to use. All the adjectives that you want to use. My deal is that you play football, that you put it on the grass. I mean, what good is jumping 40 inches if you don’t do it when you lose every jump ball? Or you run 4.4 and you’re letting guys beat you to the football in pursuit,” White said.
“So it was really good to watch them just go out there and play. A lot of guys shined today. Earl (Little) did a great job, Ja’Bril (Rawls), Cai (Bates). Saw Q (Quindarrius Jones) make a couple of really nice plays. I saw Christian (White) down in there. There’s a ton of guys that just made a lot of plays, but that’s the thing you want to see.”
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The linebackers also impressed, with Whtie highlighting Herring and Justin “Juice” Cryer as two players that made an impact. He said Cryer had a few plays that made him question, “How did he do that?”
White was particularly complimentary of Herring for his dynamic play.
“He’s Mr. Quiet Confident. 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,” White said.
“He made a couple plays today 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. It is fun, he made a lot of plays today.”
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Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football Tony White highlights defensive stars in spring scrimmage
