Florida State’s offensive and defensive lines set the tone during Sunday’s practice, delivering one of the most physical sessions of preseason camp and drawing praise from defensive line coach Terrance Knighton.
Coming off a scheduled day off, Knighton said both groups responded with the intensity and effort he expects in the trenches, crediting veteran leadership on both sides of the ball for maintaining the standard.
“You’re happy to see it, especially coming off a day off,” Knighton said. “Teams tend to relax that way, but that speaks volumes to the leadership in the locker room. There are a lot of leaders on the O-line and a lot of leaders on the D-line, and they made a choice today to come out and be physical. We got better today.”
Knighton also praised offensive line coach Herb Hand’s unit for providing a daily challenge to Florida State’s defensive front.
“The O-line plays square,” Knighton said. “They’re strong, and it’s challenging us to have our eyes in the right place, play with great pad level and be where we’re supposed to be. It’s making us better in the trenches overall.”
Speed and explosiveness remain the priority
While Florida State’s defensive line may not feature overwhelming size across the board, Knighton believes the group compensates with quickness, explosiveness and relentless effort. Those traits, he said, align with exactly what head coach Mike Norvell prioritizes when evaluating defensive linemen.
“That’s what I love about Coach Norvell,” Knighton said. “When we’re recruiting guys and evaluating defensive linemen, they’ll always ask, ‘Coach, what weight do you want me at?’ He says, ‘Fast and explosive.’ They’ll ask again, ‘Yeah, but coach, what weight?’ Fast and explosive.”
Knighton said that athleticism is especially valuable in a defense that frequently uses stunts and twists to create pressure.
He pointed to Jalen Anderson as an example, calling him one of the strongest players on the team pound for pound.
“With this defense, when you’re doing a lot of stunts and twists and all those things, and at the same time you have powerful guys like we do that are strong in the weight room, it keeps offenses off balance,” Knighton said.
Jordan Sanders embraces hard coaching
One player who continues to earn praise from Knighton is Texas State transfer Jordan Sanders.
The veteran defensive tackle missed spring practice while recovering from an injury, but Knighton said Sanders has embraced the demanding coaching style of both Knighton and defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins while learning Florida State’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme.
A former starter at Texas State and Cal Poly, Sanders enters his first season at the Power Four level after totaling 41 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble during his collegiate career.
“That’s what I love most about Jordan,” Knighton said. “Being a transfer and being an older guy, he’s accepted the hard coaching. Myself and Coach Odell are probably harder on him than anybody else, but he’s accepted it. He responds well. He’s a tough kid, and he’s done everything off the field that he’s needed to do.
“He’ll be an impactful guy for us.”
Knighton said Sanders used his time away from the field productively, improving both his conditioning and understanding of the defense. Despite being sidelined, he remained engaged during meetings and practices, constantly asking questions and taking mental repetitions.
“He was hard on himself about his conditioning,” Knighton said. “He allowed himself to keep his weight down and his body fat dropped. His body looks great.
“At the same time, in the meeting rooms, he was still asking questions, staying engaged and taking vicarious reps. He stayed locked in.”
Good but not good enough: Expectations rise for the Desir twins
After impressive freshman seasons, Mandrell and Darryll Desir are no longer young players trying to find their footing. According to Knighton, expectations have increased entering their sophomore campaigns.
The twin brothers emerged as key contributors in 2025, but Knighton believes their biggest leap could come from a deeper understanding of the defense rather than physical development.
“I told them last year still wasn’t good enough,” Knighton said. “Mandrell was making a lot of plays and still didn’t know what he was doing. But now that he understands the scheme and where guys fit, it’s allowing him to play faster.”
Mandrell led Florida State with 6.5 sacks last season and earned Freshman All-America honors. Darryll’s statistics did not match his brother’s production, but Knighton said his impact as a pass rusher was closer than the numbers suggested.
Now, with a full year in the system behind them, Knighton expects both players to elevate their games.
“Now that those two guys understand the playbook and understand the defense, they can play fast and don’t have to think,” Knighton said. “Good luck to the line up in front of them.”
For Knighton, Sunday’s practice offered an encouraging glimpse of what Florida State’s defensive front could become this season. Between the physicality displayed in the trenches, Sanders’ continued progression and the anticipated growth of the Desir twins, the Seminoles believe experience and speed can help transform a promising position group into one of the strengths of the defense this season.
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics and Big Bend Preps for the Tallahassee Democrat. If you like to pitch a story on a high school athlete, don’t hesitate to get in touch with him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How speed, explosiveness drive Florida State’s defensive line
Reporting by Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
