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🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

🏆 This Week in Garnet & Gold 🏆

🏈 Identity Week: Two scrimmages + UNF swing sharpened the edges; speed and takeaways were the point of emphasis.

🔁 Recruiting: Bama-opener visitor list is loaded; 2027 five-star QB Kavian Bryant expected in Doak.

⚽ Women’s Soccer: Five national TV dates locked; Dudley & Gilchrist headline preseason honors.

🏐 Volleyball: Four ESPN/ACCN broadcasts, including vs No. 3 Pitt on ESPN.

⛳ Golf: GCAA Academic Team Award; staff adds Brandon Smith; Weaver/Brewer/Bigham head to the U.S. Am.

🏈 Pro Noles: Preseason openers featured FSU vets flashing for roster spots.

🧭 Lens for Camp: Ten Noles who tilt the field right now.

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🏈 Camp Notebook — Scrimmage Sparks & Jacksonville Grit

Scrimmage #1 (Aug 6 debrief): After weather shuffled plans, Norvell praised competitiveness and “fight.” Explosive flashes from Duce Robinson, Randy Pittman, Micahi Danzy; on defense, James Williams, Jaden Jones, Earl Little, Edwin Joseph drew mentions. Return units were limited but Jake Pinegar and the KR/PR group impressed. Why it matters: first full-speed check that the portal/young core is blending.

Identity Week at UNF: White’s long-speed resurfaced, Kromah ran violently (plus blitz pickup), and the freshman WR cohort (Tae’Shaun Gelsey, Jayvan Boggs) kept stacking contested wins. Up front, Jayson Jenkins progressed, and Kevin Wynn looked two-deep ready. DC Tony White’s message: step up or step out.

Turnover drumbeat: Norvell put it bluntly — PBUs aren’t picks. With last year’s takeaway drought, finishing the ball is a daily emphasis across a long, twitchy secondary (Jeremiah Wilson, Ja’Bril Rawls, KJ Kirkland, Edwin Joseph).

Scrimmage #2 (Aug 10): Castellanos shook off an early INT to lead TD drives; Squirrel White kept landing haymakers; Norvell liked the OL’s cohesion and singled out youthful juice (freshman CB Shamar Arnoux). Two weeks in, the identity reads: faster, feistier, deeper.

🔁 Recruiting — Fall Boards, Flip Targets, and a 5-Star QB Visit

Bama-weekend visitors: Locked OVs/UVs include high-priority flips at EDGE/Jack (Asharri Charles, Jarius Rodgers, Kamron Wilson) and critical OT targets (Johnnie Jones, Aaron Thomas visits later for Miami). LB DQ Forkpa remains a board-topper as multiple fall visits shape up.

Most-Wanted list (’26): With ~22 commits on board, Norvell’s closeout needs are clear: OT, EDGE/Jack, LB. Names to circle: Charles, Rodgers, Wilson at EDGE; Jones/Thomas at OT; Forkpa, Izayia Williams, Rodney Colton at LB. Translation: trench length and second-level range.

2027 five-star QB Kavian Bryant → in Doak, Aug 30: Dual-sport playmaker (82% completions last fall) will soak in the opener. Texas is the other early co-headliner — statement night opportunity.

Hoops OVs: The Placide twins (6'10"/6'9") book Sept. 12 officials; Jalan Wingfield aligns Oct. 3–5 with FSU-Miami. Loucks is swinging big on length/versatility profiles.

⚽/🏐 Fall TV Slates & Preseason Honors

Women’s Soccer (defending champs): Five national TV dates on ACCN — at No. 1 UNC (9/17), at No. 2 Notre Dame (10/9), at Virginia (10/23), vs No. 10 Wake (10/30), plus the season opener vs Florida (8/14). Jordynn Dudley and Heather Gilchrist made the Preseason All-ACC Team; FSU slotted 3rd in the ACC poll with 4 first-place votes.

Volleyball: Four national broadcasts — @ Oklahoma (SEC N), vs No. 3 Pitt (ESPN), @ Miami (ACCN), @ No. 4 Louisville (ACCN). The Oct. 12 Pitt tilt is just the third ESPN home broadcast in program history.

⛳ Golf — Classroom W & Staff Upgrade

GCAA Platform Team Academic Award secured (3.107 team GPA; program-best 3.40 spring). Weaver & Albright are All-America Scholars; Weaver/Brewer/Bigham tee up at the U.S. Amateur this week. Meanwhile, FSU hired Brandon Smith — an All-American with pro chops — as dual assistant for men’s/women’s programs. Pipeline, meet polish.

Apple Is Coming for the Smart Home — And Fast

Apple Is Coming for the Smart Home — And Fast

Apple’s rumored Face-ID door lock and smart display hub are more than just new products. It’s a clear signal: they’re going all-in on smart home automation.

The tech giant is doubling down on the smart home, the $158B industry that’s growing 23% annually.

And with Apple’s entry, investors are looking for the next breakout company - and potential acquisition target.

They’re chasing Google (acquired Nest, $3.2B) and Amazon (acquired Ring, $1.2B).

History shows: when Apple plays catch-up, they go big.

And there’s one startup perfectly positioned to benefit.

With 10+ patents, distribution in over 100 Best Buy stores, and revenue growth that doubled year-over-year, they’re built for a huge breakout.

Early investors in Ring and Nest saw life-changing returns.

🧪 Camp Micro-Trends (a few that matter)

• Special teams spine: Long-snapper Mason Arnold lands on the Mannelly Award watch list; early returns on KR/PR look lively (White/Lucas). Hidden-yardage payoffs are looming.

• RB room stacking traits: Sawchuk hits the Doak Walker watch list; Kromah keeps earning reps; Lucas toggles RB/returner. By-committee feels real (and fine).

• Certified Freaks: Micahi Danzy (24 mph, 335-lb clean; 44.38 400m) landed on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List — gadget, return, or shot-play weapon.

🏈 10 Players Who Tilt the Field 🏈

(shortlist, offense → defense → multipliers)

• Squirrel White (WR): Vertical stressor; turns slants into explosives.

• Duce Robinson (TE/WR): Matchup eraser; red-zone fade or seam.

• Ousmane Kromah (RB): Contact balance + blitz pickup = trust snaps early.

• Tommy Castellanos (QB): Scramble-drill chaos creator; extends drives.

• Darrell Jackson Jr. (DT): Two-gap size with first-step shock.

• James Williams (EDGE): Bend/length; wins late in reps.

• Earl Little Jr. (Rover): Calls it, disguises it, finishes it.

• Jeremiah Wilson (CB): Competitive length; ball skills trending up.

• Micahi Danzy (ATH): Track jet; gadget touches and return juice.

• Randy Pittman (TE): Third-down option; play-action anchor.

Why it matters: If these ten are consistently featured in situational packages (3rd-and-medium, RZ, 2-minute), the offense’s explosive rate and the defense’s havoc rate both spike.

🏈 Pro Noles — Preseason Pops 🏈

Offense

• Jameis Winston — TD toss on the first drive; operating crisp in play-action.

• Treshaun Ward — chain-moving series; pass pro held up.

Defense

• Jammie Robinson — team-high tackles; slot/run-fit versatility on display.

• Tatum Bethune — six stops and a PBU; special-teams rep, too.

• Janarius Robinson — edge sack + pressure that forced a hurry.

Specialists

• Graham Gano — drilled 50/51/53; kickoff depth steady.

Why it matters: August reps decide jobs — several Noles just put quality tape out there, which strengthens FSU’s “pipeline sells” message in recruiting and NIL.

🌟 Player of the Week — Ousmane Kromah (RB, Fr.) 🌟

Why: In a week defined by physicality, Kromah kept showing up: red-zone touchdowns, contact balance, and that blitz pickup everyone talked about. If the true-freshman keeps stacking days, he turns the RB room from solid to scary.

📅 On-Deck (Aug 12–19, ET)

✍️ Sign-Off

That’s the wrap, Chief: pads popping in Jacksonville, scrimmage swings in Doak, TV trucks lining up, and recruiting dominos stacking for a loud opener. Next stop: final camp cuts, install time, and a rivalry kickoff for the champs on Thursday night.

Stay locked, stay loud, and — as always — Go Noles!
— The Chief