Now that national signing day is behind us, and the bulk of the recruiting season now finished, the time feels as right as ever for me to try and articulate some kind of an initial opinion on new FSU football head coach, Mike Norvell. Look, I know what you’re probably thinking: “this guy has been HC for two months now, how are you just now forming an opinion?”
That answer is an easy one for me: he hasn’t actually “coached” anything at FSU yet. How am I supposed to think one way or the other about a man who hasn’t even coached a practice yet?
Sure, he’s assumed the role and responsibilities of a head coach; but besides a few whistles blowing during off-season workouts and someone on one player meetings, the man hasn’t “coached” a lick of anything while at Florida State.
Yet, social media is flooded with polarizing takes about Coach Norvell. Some folks believing he is way in over his head, while others have already anointed him as the “next great coach at Florida State.”
If we are being honest, you really can’t (and shouldn’t) form an accurate opinion on a first-year head coach until after his first season has concluded. Let alone, try and do so before he has even made it through spring practice. To me, it just seems foolish to try and irresponsible to do so.
But alas, the year is 2020 and patience and moderate pragmatism are things of the past. All that said, let’s take a look at what Coach Norvell has been able to do in his first few months as head coach.
Recruiting
Let’s just get this one out of the way first; it has become quite clear to me that a good amount of fans don’t fully understand how the recruiting process works. And that’s fine. The recruitment of high-school players can get very obscure to those ignorant to the process, but I digress.
Look, recruiting is the lifeblood for any college football program. But, if the last coaching staff taught us anything, it’s that great recruiters aren’t always the best coaches. Sometimes the best recruiters are flat out awful at teaching the game. Sound familiar?
This is why I generally don’t put too much stock into recruiting rankings. And maybe that’s because the last regime has me a bit gun-shy, but either way, it just doesn’t make sense for people to overreact to this recruiting cycle; especially when you consider the recent struggles FSU has experienced.
Still, Coach Norvell was able to finish up with a top 25 class and addressed some critical needs at a variety of positions (QB, RB, OL, and LB). Pretty remarkable when you consider the 18-20 record over the past three years and two straight losing seasons. Not to mention he only had a few weeks to meet and recruit kids; all while simultaneously assembling a coaching staff.
It will still be way too early to tell but, spring camp should give us a better idea about these players and this coaching staff. More than any sort of recruiting rankings ever could. Spring camp will also show us how this team will look come fall. Way more useful than a star count or blue-chip percentage.
Clear Vision, Clearer Message
I won’t lie to you, I was severely underwhelmed when FSU football announced the hire of Coach Norvell. He wasn’t the big-name-coach we thought we wanted or the homerun-hire we thought we needed. Nope. Instead, we went with a young offensive mind from Memphis. A guy who had great success at a smaller program, but is relatively unproven as a head coach at the power five-level. This archetype has become a familiar one in today’s college football; it’s just not one I ever expected to see at Florida State. But times sure have changed haven’t they?
But even with all of this apprehension, I’ve got to say, I like the message Norvell is trying to convey. Since he first stepped foot in Tallahassee, the man has been preaching work ethic, discipline and toughness, non-stop. In every facet of the game, on and off the field.
I can’t emphasize enough how refreshing this is to hear from the head coach, given that the last one was the antithesis of all of those descriptors. Again, it is way too early to tell if this is a legit mantra or just lip service. But regardless, it is nice to hear.
It gets a whole lot nicer when you actually see those same principles embodied within the men he has hired for his coaching staff. From the stoic and experienced calm of new Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller to the youthful excitement (and almost disturbing enthusiasm) of OC Kenny Dillingham, it is clear that Norvell surrounds himself with like-minded individuals; given what we have seen in interviews and such.
Also, the coaches that he chose to retain show me that the man knows a thing or two when it comes to coaches who know the game. Electing to keep receivers Coach Ron Dugans and defensive line coach (and 2x head coach) Odell Haggins from the previous staff were huge moves, both in terms of football strategy and fan perception. Both of these men are guru’s when it comes to coaching their respective positions. They also both have attributed immensely to FSU football and its legacy. And if we are being real here, I don’t think anybody is firing Odell Haggins.
Not to mention, the retention of these two coaches played no small role in.
Keeping Marvin Wilson and Tamorrion Terry
This is the biggest and best news the Seminoles have gotten this off-season.
The fact that this man, a man which neither player had ever met before, came in and convinced two young superstars to forgo guaranteed money in the NFL to instead play for a fledgling program and a brand new head coach speaks immensely to the kind of effect Norvell seems to have on people. It speaks volumes to how well he can communicate his vision to young talented players. It shows me that guys want to play for him. And frankly, it shows me that he knows the value of players like Wilson and Terry. All positive signs. Considered he hasn’t coached a game yet.
From a pure football perspective, these are two spots on the depth chart Norvell won’t have to worry about in the slightest. Marvin Wilson probably could have been drafted in the first round of this year’s draft. He has been an absolute animal since he stepped foot on campus and his presence along the defensive front will go a long way in solidifying a porous defense. Tamorrion Terry, while a less polished prospect, is a generational talent and physical freak of nature. He has more to gain from another year in school compared to Marvin Wilson, but his dynamic ability will be invaluable for an offense with a ton of question marks. Norvell helped himself out a ton holding on to these two guys.
Conclusion
So far, Mike Norvell has checked all of the boxes for me. That said, there just haven’t been that many boxes to check. Still, I like what I have heard and I like what I have seen. The man seems to have a plan and appears to be executing it. I don’t know if the same could be said about the last regime.
We FSU football fans have been through a lot in recent years when it comes to our football coaches. We watched our national championship-winning coach spurn us for much greener pastures. We thought we had found the one with smiling lovable Willie, only to find that the substance wasn’t there. And now, a mere two years removed from hiring Willie, we have Coach Mike Norvell. A man with a laser-like focus, an emphasis on detail and a desire for toughness.
It is too early to know if Mike Norvell will be the answer at Florida State. So far, he has said all of the right words and done all of the right things, all things considered. But so did Willie Taggart at first, or so we thought.
There’s more than one way to the airport just like there’s more than one way to win a football game. We wanted Willie’s way to work, it didn’t. Will Coach Norvell’s? Only time will tell.