Defense, Luke Kromenhoek shine in FSU football's first scrimmage of spring season

While fans, media and half of the stands were not in attendance at Doak Campbell Stadium on Thursday, Florida State football scrimmaged for the first time in the spring season.

An offense without Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman and Trey Benson took the field, leaning on veterans and transfers to lead the charge.

In the end, FSU head coach Mike Norvell said it was the defense that had an impressive showing throughout the majority of the game, highlighted by its "speed and physicality".

Norvell said the offense had a good response to the defense, but had some missed opportunities and throws "they'd like to have back."

Here are three takeaways from what Norvell said following FSU football's scrimmage.

Luke Kromenhoek impressed most among FSU's quarterbacks

Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei and sophomore Brock Glenn are expected to be the starter and the backup this coming season. But freshman Luke Kromenhoek continues to throw his name into the backup conversation.

Norvell was impressed with the freshman's performance, being tasked with leading the offense and executing efficiently.

"I thought Luke was outstanding for a first scrimmage," Norvell said. "In his last couple of drives, we tried to put it in his hands and let him move the ball down the field. As he got into the scrimmage, I thought he did a nice job of going to execute."

While Norvell said that there are things that need to be cleaned up in the quarterback room, he said that Glenn showed more confidence in executing and that Uiagalelei is getting a better understanding of the offense.

"DJ [Uiagalelei] has done really well in his overall understanding of the offense, but now it's just the repetition, and he needed a day like today," Norvell said.

"There were some really good moments and there were some plays where he resorted back to unclean footwork and fundamentals, but that's what today's all about. They've [the quarterbacks] been good these first four days."

Defense dominated for majority of scrimmage

From day 1 of spring camp, the Seminole defense has been a charging force.

The secondary has put a lot of pressure on the offense's passing game and according to Norvell, the line got involved in the disruptive effort as well.

Patrick Payton recorded a sack, Grady Kelly had a blocked field goal and Darrell Jackson and Marvin Jones had "flashes" of what we could see in the fall.

Considering Kelly and Jones are transfers, and Jackson didn't play last season, this could spell good things for the Seminoles' defensive front.

"All those guys had good moments," Norvell said. "It's not just in the passing game, but impact in the run game and being able to create penetration.

"There were some plays that got out on us. I think the technique and fundamental elements of keeping our eyes out in front of us will be a big correction coming off of this. I thought the defensive front did a really solid job."

A handful of fumbles were created in the scrimmage, which is a part of FSU's emphasis on "aggressiveness to the ball" according to Norvell.

"We've been emphasizing that probably as much as we ever have," Norvell said. "We try to incorporate that into every drill to create more opportunities. You see that showing up and we were able to get a couple of balls out."

Norvell discussed seeing the "talent and ability on the defensive side of the ball" in the scrimmage.

More pressure is coming on the offense than the defense to improve going into the next three weeks of spring practice before the showcase on April 20.

Kam Davis "looked like he belonged out there"

Freshman running back Kam Davis has driven a lot of attention since he arrived at FSU.

He's 5-foot-10 inches and 220 pounds as an early enrollee, which is massive for a freshman running back. Trey Benson even commented that Davis "doesn't need to be lifting any more weights" during Pro Day availability.

However, Norvell said Davis blended right in with the rest of the team during the scrimmage, even scoring a touchdown.

"Kam Davis looked like he definitely belonged out there," Norvell said. "He was rolling with all different groups and had a couple of really explosive plays. That was definitely good to see."

There's a lot of potential for Davis, coming to FSU as the No. 3 running back in the Class of 2024. During his time at Doherty High School in Albany, Georiga he accounted for 8,762 yards of total offense and 75 touchdowns.

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on X @jackgwilliams. 

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: What stood out to Mike Norvell in 1st spring scrimmage