FSU football met a need with the addition of Fabien Lovett Monday. I discuss the impact he will have on the ‘Noles program.
FSU football added Mississippi State defensive tackle, Fabien Lovett, to the 2020 recruiting class Monday.
It was a move that had been in the works since Lovett placed his name in the transfer portal on April 3, shortly after Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach posted a controversial meme on Twitter
He’s considered the No. 436 ranked player overall and No. 18 strong-side defensive end and No. 7 player in Mississippi according to 247 Composite Rankings.
Lovett held offers including schools like Mississippi State, Alabama, Ole Miss, Memphis, Purdue, Tennessee, and UCF.
He has great size at 6’4″ 315 pounds and played in all 13 games last season as a redshirt freshman.
The FSU coaching staff knew it needed to address the trenches on the defensive side of the ball and got an excellent player considering what’s going on right now with the coronavirus.
Let’s discuss how he impacts the Noles.
Position of Need
The Noles needed help at the defensive tackle position with Marvin Wilson and Cory Durden being gone after the 2020 season.
Robert Cooper would be eligible to leave for the NFL Draft after 2020 as well if he chose to do so.
There is some talent at the position but, it’s unproven, and they may not gain a ton of experience with those guys being in front of them on the depth chart.
Lovett will need to appeal to the NCAA to be eligible immediately in 2020 but stands good shot to get that approved based on the nature of him deciding to leave Mississippi State.
If that’s the case, he played around 400 snaps last season and will provide excellent depth and experience.
The other great thing? He will have three years of eligibility remaining, which means he can be a huge stop-gap until the new coaching staff can appropriately address defensive tackle recruiting and develop the current players on the roster.
Transfer Portal
This FSU football coaching staff has been relentless in the transfer portal, contacting players nearly as soon as they submit their names.
However, it’s still all about getting the right fit along with addressing needs on the roster. The good thing about Lovett is he already had a relationship with head coach Mike Norvell and linebackers coach Chris Marve.
Lovett is a player other big-time programs were interested in, and him choosing to commit to the Noles is good for the perception of the program.
The old coaching staff got a few players from the transfer portal, but the new coaching staff is having much more success it seems.
They already have seven players from the transfer portal who’ll be enrolled this fall.
The transfer portal is something they’ll need to continue to use to their advantage to fill holes on the roster, particularly players in the trenches because most high school players aren’t physically ready to be a contributor their first year.
Final Thoughts
The FSU football recruiting staff has done a great job of identifying the biggest needs on the roster via the transfers portal.
They’ve already addressed the quarterback position, linebacker, defensive end, defensive back, offensive line, and defensive tackle. All of these positions are critical and positions that were largely neglected by the old staff.
The sheer organization and attention to detail have been refreshing with the coaching staff leaving no stone unturned on the recruiting trails.
If the organization on the recruiting trail is any indicator, the organization on the field should be improved greatly too.
Lots of things have leaked out regarding the old staff, and many of the issues seem to revolve around not knowing how to prepare properly in all aspects, which is disappointing considering the talent that was not maximized on the roster during that time.
The way these coaches are attacking the recruiting trail gives me hope this 2020 season can be a success.
Of course, it will largely depend on when this coronavirus issue clears up and if the NCAA will allow teams to get the spring practices in that they missed. Nonetheless, the last day or so has been very positive for FSU football.