Florida State 2021 Spring Game: The Players Who Starred

Spring is a beautiful time of year, the weather is warming up, the days get longer and college football teams hold fifteen practices usually culminating with some form of spring game. That spring game is often the first chance fans have to see their team in action. Sure, the rules vary depending on the team, players rotate in and out, and some of the big stars don’t play much, but it’s still the first look at the team. It’s dangerous to read too much into spring game performances, but that won’t stop us from highlighting a few players who impressed in Florida State‘s spring game.

Malik McClain

McClain is a freshman who enrolled early and has taken advantage of the opportunity to get a head start on his career. He was a big play threat this past fall when we saw him playing for IMG Academy and that continued in the spring game at Florida State. McClain got separation against the defensive backs and made a few notable plays during the game. He was responsible for the first touchdown of the game on a crossing route that resulted in McClain getting wide open and running for a touchdown. He later made a beautiful contested catch on a go route from McKenzie Milton. McClain showed good run after the catch ability later in the game, catching a short pass and dodging tacklers to pick up good yardage after the catch. McClain was excellent and appears to be building up to a strong freshman campaign in Tallahassee.

Kevin Knowles

Knowles is another true freshman who had a strong performance in the spring game. He had several impact plays throughout the game, including an interception early on a crossing route when he undercut the route to make the play. He was also a physical tackler, making a couple of tackles for loss on WR screens, beating the blockers with his speed and quick recognition of the play. Knowles combined his physicality and coverage ability later for a big hit on a receiver in the flat to force an incomplete pass. The true freshman flashed throughout the spring game and put his name in the mix to play early in his career.

McKenzie Milton

Milton hasn’t played in a game since his injury at UCF, but the transfer quarterback looked good during the spring game. He has only been at Florida State a short time but appeared comfortable in the offense. He led two scoring drives, the first featuring a beautiful deep pass to McClain and a nice back shoulder throw to Robinson. Milton later feathered a ball over the top of the defense to Joshua Burrell on a pretty play action pass. Milton has a quick release and his ball placement is exceptional. Milton also had a good scramble showing his injuries have not cost him his mobility. Milton’s performance was exciting and provided a glimpse of his potential impact on the 2021 season.

Akeem Dent

Dent is a talented cornerback who is entering his third year with the program. He made several plays of his own in the secondary over the course of the game. He displayed good instincts sniffing out a screen pass to make a tackle for loss. Dent was also solid in coverage, demonstrating good ball skills and man to man cover ability on a couple of nice pass breakups; one on the sideline and the second on a deep post route. Dent has the athleticism and instincts to be a leader in the secondary in 2021, the spring game was the first step to making that happen.

Malcolm Ray

The defensive line doesn’t always get to show what they can do in a spring game because of the way the rules are, but Florida State’s defensive front outperformed the offensive line. Ray made a few nice plays at the tackle spot that showed his ability to impact the quarterback. He showed a good swim move beating his man one on one to record a sack early in the game. A few possessions later he fought through a double team and earned another “sack” with his power and motor. Ray showed good strength and the ability to use his hands well to disengage blockers throughout the game.

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