Herb Hand, Nate Pabst talk FSU offensive line ahead of season opener: “I like the way that the unit’s coming together”

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Florida State’s offensive line has been one of the most talked-about position groups through fall camp, and on Wednesday, both O-line coach Herb Hand and veteran lineman Nate Pabst met with local media to break down where the room stands with 11 days to go until the Seminoles open the season.

Hand wasn’t ready to hand out a starting five just yet, but he made clear he likes the direction the group is trending. “I think we’re getting there,” Hand said. “We’ll be fine by the time we get ready to kick it off.”

“Nothing’s set in stone right now, we still have whatever it is — 11 days, or something like that — before we kick things thing off, and a lot can happen in 11 days. But I like the way that the unit’s coming together.”

When asked who’s been the most consistent player in the room through camp, Hand initially deflected (“That’s like asking who’s your favorite kid. I’m not going to answer that one.”) before pointing to Pabst.

Nate’s just a solid lunch pail dude that comes to work every day,“ He said. ”He’s a vet, you know, I mean, he’s, you can tell that he’s played a lot of football. He’s a 38-game starter at the previous place. And, you know, they did a great job with him. I’m glad we have him.”

Beyond individual standouts, Hand emphasized that everything Florida State does up front stems from a clear system.

“Our DNA is we’re going to be a physical downhill running team,” Hand said, noting that everything, even packages designed to get athletic linemen out in space, will be built on that foundation.

Pabst, when asked what actually separates a good offensive lineman from a great one, emphasized that the most important marker is somebody willing to do their job “every play, no matter how he feels, what he’s going through, what the environment is.”

“You’re not going to be on the big screen when you’re doing something,” he said. “But if the guys that go out there, no matter what the circumstances or what the situation is, they can go out there and perform and do their job. That’s what a great offensive lineman in my mind is.”

He said he’s seen plenty of growth in himself, with the difference between his arrival in Tallahassee and now visible on film.

“If I go back and watch my day one film, I’m like ‘ah’ and didn’t really like it. Now, I’m like, okay, this is the player I’m kind of used to seeing, maybe a little bit better,” Pabst said. “Something I’ve improved on the most, this might be an O-line term, but rocking back. In the spring I was kind of struggling with the rocking back to help the tackles. If I lose a guy in front of me, like some guy crosses face to the center, I was struggling kind of rocking back and I think I’ve made a point of emphasis during the summer and fall camp. I think I’ve done that well and the use of my hands, I would highlight as well.”

He spoke on Hand’s philosophy of building a room around a “give-a-crap” mentality, something that he’s seen plenty of from his teammates.

“The first thing coaches look at and how players are evaluated on every practice is how we run on the field. And that’s not an assignment thing, that’s not a ‘okay, I got to cut this guy off’ thing,” he said. “That’s the give-a-crap factor, right? And there’s nothing that kind of starts off a practice better than when you have a whole group of guys running on the field, and during the play you see that too. Coach Hand always shows us these culture plays from players he’s coached in the past, guys pushing piles, guys just doing the extra work that wins games. And that give-a-crap factor is definitely coached a lot here.”

The full interviews from both are available below.

Offensive line coach Herb Hand

Offensive lineman Nate Pabst

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