State of the Seminoles: Preseason Football Issue
By Joe Nardone
November 26, 2011; Gainesville FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher talks with the referee during the second half against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida State Seminoles defeated the Florida Gators 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Websites, blogs and sports networks tend to focus on the immediate issues facing college sports programs. While that is all fine and dandy it does leave some of the bigger issues a program might face with little to no coverage. That is why ChopChat is going to be doing a once a month State of the Seminoles — where we take a look at some of the long-term things the Florida State Seminoles or their fans may want to think about a little bit.
Since this is our first football issue of State of the Seminoles and Jack Jorgensen is our lead college football writer, well, we decided to have Jack answer questions posed by myself.
Okay. Enough of this gibber-jabber. Let us get this shindig going.
(Questions will be in the bold lettering and Jack’s answers will be in italic, not as eye-popping font)
(JN) Is Jimbo Fisher being smart, sneaky or indecisive by not publicly naming the starting quarterback?
(JJ) Coach Fisher is playing this one smart. It was fairly obvious the moment that the Garnet and Gold Game ended back in April that Jameis was indeed, “The Guy.” However, Jimbo had to keep this a secret for possibly two reasons. Although Winston seems comfortable with the spotlight, he still wanted to protect his young signal caller from constantly being under the microscope throughout the summer. Also, he needed to keep Coker a tad bit happy to prevent him from bolting just as Trickett did. Coker is a D-1 starting QB. However, at least for this year, it’s safe to have him around in case Winston — as mind-blowingly as it would be —
With that being said, who should start — Jameis Winston or Jacob Coker?
Jameis Winston is absolutely the starting quarterback of the 2013 Florida State Seminoles. He’s shown more than enough between the spring game and summer workouts to warrant that decision. Now we all just sit back and enjoy the show.
Is the Winston hype deserved, will it backfire and can he possibly live up to it?
The hype has been deserved since he captured the Elite 11 competition MVP two years ago. Not only does he possess the physically astounding attributes that make up a lot of the exciting collegiate quarterbacks we see today, but his football intelligence level is through the roof. During that Elite 11 journey, not only was Jameis the most physically gifted camper, he was the smartest as well. With him redshirting last season and having a year to develop, there really is no telling how far this young man can go.
Jimbo Fisher is obviously a tremendous recruiter, but he does get knocked for his in-game coaching decisions. Are they legitimate criticisms or are folks being too hard on Uncle Jim?
This is where the FSU fan base is probably split the most. Many will immediately point to the NC State loss last season as proof that Jimbo doesn’t know how to step on the gas pedal when needed, while others are remaining in that honeymoon stage–chalking stuff like that up to Jimbo still being fairly new as a head coach. I am in support of the latter. With this being his fourth year at the helm, I think you’re going to see a different coaching style from the old man. Just as player’s gain confidence from success, Jimbo is now a BCS-winning head coach. Once he raised that glass bowl full of oranges up in January, the transition was finally complete.
How long does Fisher have to get the Noles into position to be annual National Championship threats before the public will call for his head on a stick? Also, how long should he get given his current track record with the program?
In my opinion, Jimbo is going to have to be competing for the title within the next 2-3 years easily. Now the fan base in Tallahassee will be a tad more lenient with him because that’s their coach, they’re going to stick up for him. I mean, of course, you’re going to have some illogical members of the Nole nation nitpicking and such, but that comes with the territory. My concern is from others in the nation. The calls for Florida State to be “back” have been strong enough throughout recent years as it is. But, with such factors as Winston being believed to be the second coming of Charlie Ward and the top-tier recruiting classes, the national media might consider it a failure if Florida State isn’t in heavy contention for the national title fairly sooner rather than later.
Florida State is ranked relatively high again, but are going to have an unproven quarterback behind center. What would you consider a successful season for the Seminoles?
Honestly, a successful season this year–considering all the factors–would be 10-2, 9-3 at the very least. I see a loss to Clemson as an obvious possibility, plus the season-ending game against Florida is a toss-up at the moment given UF’s recent string of bad luck with injuries. The Miami game in Doak should be a tough go-round as well. And then, as all Florida State fans are used to, there is always that ONE game that this squad loses that they definitely should not. For this, look at that opener against Pitt in the Steel City. We constantly reference the young talent, while we also seem to look right over that word “young.” Opening up the season in primetime, in the very far north, it has potential disaster written all over it.
Give me a name of a freshman who might not play a ton this season, but will be a household name by the time he leaves the program. Oh, and a household name for all the right reasons as well.
Levonte ‘Kermit’ Whitfield. And yes, I know you said for all the right reasons and I’m not choosing him because of his name. Marvin Bracy was supposed to play the part of speedy, deep receiving threat before he decided to leave school to pursue his Olympic track and field dreams. As they say though, when one door closes another one opens and that is exactly what Bracy may have done for fellow track star Whitfield. Kermit’s speed, athleticism and solid hands can not only make him a receiving star, but a special teams one as well. He’s got playmaker written all over him. His nickname being Kermit is just an added perk.
Do you think the Florida State coaching staff and athletic department are handling the Gregory Dent situation the right way (for those unaware, Dent is suspended from the team while the legal system runs its course. He has been charged with sexual assault)?
Yes, they are handling the whole situation beautifully. As soon as some of the facts were released, he was immediately suspended from the program. It was the right thing to do.
The ACC has dramatically changed with the addition of some new programs. If you were to combine both the men’s basketball and football programs, where would you rank FSU among their conference brethren?
They would have to be in the Top 5. We know that barring some sort of unforeseen, natural disaster-like circumstances that the football program is ready to contend on a national stage annually. The basketball program intrigues me. While they couldn’t put the final nail in the coffin in regards to landing Andrew Wiggins, they still have his talented teammate Xavier Rathan-Mayes coming in. If they can build solid team around Mayes for however long he plans on sticking around–and I believe that Coach Ham absolutely can, then they could have ‘Noles fans very excited about athletics well past the time football season is over.
Mario Pender needs a nickname. Give him one……now. And no, Super Mario is lame.
Have you seen the hairdo he’s sporting? Is anything other than ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ really relevant?
Lastly, what are your thoughts on the hire of Stan Wilcox as the new Director of Athletics?
I absolutely loved the hire. The man brings with him a pedigree that a lot of institutions would envy. He’s worked with the likes of Notre Dame, Duke and has experience working within the NCAA itself. He also has extensive experience with fundraising tactics which is an underrated trait when it comes to assessing someone in his position. I can see Wilcox handling athletics at Florida State University with ease for years to come.
Okay. That is it for our first issue of State of the Seminoles. We will do a college basketball issue down the line and another football edition a month from now. If you have any of your own questions you would like answered by our writers, please, just let us know by either commenting, tweeting at us, talking to us on the ChopChat Facebook page or use some form of osmosis while you are sleeping.
Jack is lead football writer for ChopChat. If you are thirsty for college football information, then by all means, follow him on Twitter @JackJ14CFB
Joe, Twitter @JosephNardone