Patrick takes a new role
Ex-Timber Creek star leads Seminole tailbacks this year
TALLAHASSEE — During the rare occasions Florida State would employ two running backs on offense in the last two seasons, Dalvin Cook took pride in blocking for his backup Jacques Patrick.
It was a move Jimbo Fisher applauded as Cook aimed to encourage a teammate who may not have seen the field as much because of his presence.
Now with Cook no longer in the fold for the Seminoles football team, Patrick is working on improving his game to become FSU’s new starting running back while being a consummate teammate.
“It gets you excited and gives you a rush, knowing a guy like that is going to be a first-round pick in the [NFL] draft, and he’s blocking for me,” Patrick said after Thursday’s spring practice.
“It was a great feeling, and we’re trying to do the same thing out here. I know these guys look up to me, so I’m doing it for the group.”
Patrick, a former five-star recruit from Orlando Timber Creek High, headlines FSU’s deep running-back group that
features sophomore Amir Rasul, freshman Cam Akers and seldom-used backups Ryan Green and Johnathan Vickers.
Together, they’ll aim to help quarterback Deondre Francois balance FSU’s offense without Cook, the school’s all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
Patrick gives FSU a bruising back, capable of making explosive plays. Rasul brings versatility with his speed and quickness out of the backfield. Akers brings vision and breakaway speed similar to Cook, while Green and Vickers are experienced veterans.
“All of them do a lot of things,” Fisher said of his running backs. “It’s not like you have to put one guy to do this, and one guy to do that. They have a very wide range skill sets.”
Patrick, who has 664 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career, has worked on becoming more explosive with hamstring and groin workouts he learned from running backs coach Jay Graham. He has also spent extra time in the weight room and watching film to improve.
Patrick has also helped Akers, the five-star early enrollee from Clinton, Miss., acclimate in his first spring practice with the team.
Like Patrick, Akers also played quarterback as a high school player. The full-time position change to running back presents some challenges like synchronizing footwork with handoffs and getting into a rhythm running behind the quarterback.
“It’s pretty cool because we have a lot of things we can relate to coming out of high school,” Patrick said of Akers. “Cam has been improving, and you can see the improvements each and every day. I’m happy for him. That guy is going to be really good.”
Fisher has been pleased with the performance from his running backs group as the Seminoles are halfway finished with spring practice.
The Seminoles’ spring game will be on April 8 in Doak Campbell Stadium.
“For the most part, they’ve been doing a good job,” Fisher said. “They’ve been learning, but it’s been pretty good. It’s a good segment.”
FSU receiver George Campbell (scheduled day off from core muscle injury last season), defensive back Carlos Becker (concussion) and safety Nate Andrews (hamstring) were out of practice.
Grant Glennon, an Under Armour All-American long snapper who is expected to enroll in Florida State in January, visited practice. Glennon is ranked as the No. 1 player at his position by 247Sports.com.
Former FSU quarterback Xavier Lee, cornerback Bryant McFadden and defensive tackle Travis Johnson were also on campus for practice.