Pettus, Wynn embrace grind as Seminoles build from within

TALLAHASSEE — You hear it quickly from Florida State head coach Mike Norvell: this is not a team that’s trying to talk its way into another 10-win season.

It’s trying to earn it.

“We’ve got a team that’s hungry to grow,” Norvell said after Tuesday’s fall camp practice. “You can sense that work ethic. It shows up every day.”

See Norvell’s interview here.

The Seminoles, fresh off back-to-back double-digit win seasons and a 2023 ACC title, open 2024 with questions that don’t scare them — but sharpen them. There’s a new starting quarterback, new faces up front, and transfers stepping into big roles.

But what’s striking isn’t the swagger. It’s the intentionality — a buzzword, maybe, but one Florida State is turning into identity.

Take Micah Pettus, the 6-foot-7 offensive tackle transfer from Ole Miss. He arrived in Tallahassee without hype and with plenty to learn. He didn’t come to be handed a job. He came to be coached.

“I’m just trying to do my part,” Pettus said. “Learning how this team moves, how we communicate. And getting better every day.”

See Pettus’ interview here.

Pettus already sounds like a Seminole. He talks more about his footwork than his frame. He talks about building trust with the man next to him. If there’s a theme to this camp, that’s it.

On the other side of the line, true freshman Kevin Wynn is 18 years old and looks like he’s already grown-man ready. But listen to him talk, and you’ll hear humility.

See Wynn’s interview here.

“Every day I come in, I know I’ve got to work,” Wynn said. “There’s no ‘you’re too young’ or ‘you’re too old.’ You’ve got to show it.”

Wynn, who turned heads in the spring, praised his defensive line coaches for helping him understand “leverage, hands, and pad level” — the unglamorous building blocks of defensive line play. He says he’s learning what it takes to play at this level. And he says it without ego.

This is what Norvell wants. Not just big bodies — but buy-in. He used the word “connection” more than once. And it wasn’t coach-speak. It was the cornerstone.

“The challenge is to keep pushing, even when you think you’ve arrived,” Norvell said. “We’ve got the right mindset for that.”

There are no guarantees in August. But Florida State isn’t acting like a team coasting on last season. It’s acting like a team that knows it has more to prove — and is ready to do the work quietly, together, and with purpose.

That may not be loud. But it’s loud enough.