FSU football: Explaining player departures and team leadership
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football is trying to establish leadership led by the players.
If you follow on Twitter, you’ve seen my talk a lot lately regarding leadership in the FSU football program.
There have been several player departures from the program since Mike Norvell took over. That’s not unusual for a new coach to experience. After all, they are players he didn’t recruit, and many dynamics are in play.
Some players decided to leave without giving the new coaching staff a shot, and others left or dismissed before the season began.
Other players have left during the season, and there may be a few more players that decide to depart the program.
All of these departures seem to depict something is wrong in the program. I went to Twitter to give a voice of reason to the situation Wednesday:
I remember folks asking Mike Norvell who the emerging leaders on the team were in February....he didn't name a single soul....yesterday...he said he was still looking for leaders to meet expectations consistently 🤷♂️
— ChopChat.com (@ChopChat_) November 25, 2020
My point is...the players that are gone...were not leaders or never became one in the way that met expectations. If they were not meeting expectations...and were a distraction of some sorts....well...explains their absence now. https://t.co/i241gyLWGQ
— ChopChat.com (@ChopChat_) November 25, 2020
Can't win if everyone isn't pulling in the same direction...maybe you'll get it later though 🙏 https://t.co/8GyCzqZHwg
— ChopChat.com (@ChopChat_) November 24, 2020
There are a lot of layers to impact here. How did the program get to this point? What is Mike Norvell trying to do with this program from a culture/leadership perspective?
Let’s dive into it while you’re waiting to have Thanksgiving food, and I’m thankful you’re spending time supporting the site.