FSU Football: Bringing Back Dameyune Craig a Smart Move For Noles

FSU football brought back a familiar face to the coaching staff by bringing back Dameyune Craig – a move that is nothing but positive for the program.

In the moments immediately following FSU football’s third national title win, quarterback Jameis Winston – arguably one of the best to ever suit up for the Seminoles – wasn’t jumping up and down on the Florida State sideline inside the Rose Bowl stadium.

Instead, the redshirt freshman was sprinting over to the sideline of the team the ‘Noles had just defeated, the Auburn Tigers, and into the arms of their co-offensive coordinator, Dameyune Craig. It was a sight that some may have found odd if they didn’t know that Craig had spent the previous three seasons in Tallahassee – where he recruited Jameis to play for the Seminoles.

Craig is making his return to Tallahassee this coming season as a quality control coach for the Seminoles’ offense – a move seen by some as a holding spot until he can become a full time assistant again for the ‘Noles next season (when the NCAA has approved an increase to 10 full time coaches on every staff).

Florida State Seminoles Football

The move was met by a select group of FSU football fans with distain, a crazy notion that because Craig left for a job promotion at his alma mater he should be banned from ever rejoining the staff. Anyone who thinks that should be either heavily medicated or just asked not to talk for a while.

The truth is that bringing Dameyune Craig back on staff is a genius move for head coach Jimbo Fisher and the program. With the increased staff next season, the Seminoles are going to be looking for a new face on the sidelines – why not bring in someone who already knows how things are run (and knows Fisher better than most).

Craig has been associated with Jimbo for almost a quarter century, dating back to when Fisher was his quarterbacks coach for the Tigers from 1994 until 1997 and continuing when he was a graduate assistant for Jimbo’s offense at LSU in 2004. When Fisher got the head coaching job at Florida State, Craig was one of the first people he called for an obvious reason – as he explained when announcing Craig’s return (courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel):

"“He’s another set of eyes of how I like to do things, growing up in the system his whole life,” Fisher said. “It’s huge getting him back.”"

For much of the last three seasons, FSU football has been working to get back to the national championship form that the team had during that magical season – one that may have ended with Craig on the losing sideline that night in Pasadena, but one that may not have been responsible without his work the previous three seasons.