FSU football coach Mike Norvell wasted no time hitting the ground running once the 2020 season came to an end.
The Noles hit the recruiting trail hard, particularly the transfer portal, and signed several players who’ll play immediately in 2021.
The thought process is those experienced players will help the Noles bridge the gap and not rely on freshmen developing while allowing the Noles to be more competitive on the field at positions of weakness.
That makes the program more attractive to 2022, 2023, and 2024 players because the product on the field should improve, while playing time will be plenty as those transfers exit after a year or two.
Mike Norvell seems to have the program going in the right direction, and most importantly, spring camp is underway with several practices and two scrimmages complete.
That didn’t happen last spring as the Noles only completed three practices and one in pads before everything shut down due to the pandemic.
Every month seems to unveil new observations and long-term vision. Here are three observations from March 2021.
Physical Team
One thing that’s stood out since spring camp began in early March is Mike Norvell’s insistence on physicality.
It’s something myself and others have noted over the past few years, particularly since 2016, and how the program seemed to be soft.
The days of an FSU defense physically dominating opponents, and the offensive line pancaking defensive linemen have been few and far between.
FSU linebackers are not feared, and the DBU is debatable with how the last few years have gone in the secondary.
However, Mike Norvell wants to change all of that and is changing the physicality standard. It’s an expectation that has to be met every single day of practice, even when players have the bumps and bruises that accompany spring camp.
If you’ve never listened to a Mike Norvell post-practice press conference, you should check them out. One of the first things he mentions is the practice was good or whatever, and physical.
The limited footage I’ve seen seems to back up that claim. I saw defensive players impose their will on tackles, and I’ve seen offensive player break tackles. That comes with spring ball, but it’s the mentality that’s emphasized the most.
Players have to want to impose their will on the other team, and that begins before they put the uniform on the morning of game day. I’m excited to see the team mentality when they take the field against Notre Dame in a few months.
QB position
One of the reasons the FSU program has been in a tailspin is the lack of quality play at quarterback. I’ve written extensively about that and how we’ve gotten to this point.
However, Mike Norvell understands the importance of the position and has given a lot of attention to it with multiple signees since arriving in December 2019.
The addition of McKenzie Milton from the transfer portal has been a game-changer. He’s still learning the in’s and out’s of the offense and should be fine by the time fall camp begins.
However, Jordan Travis has shown major improvements in the passing game, which is where he needed the most growth.
Most folks, including me, assumed Milton would win the starting job, and I still believe that to be true. However, if Jordan Travis wins the job, that means the Noles will have an excellent backup with college experience in Milton.
Tate Rodemaker seems to be improving as well, with Chubba Purdy rehabbing until summer camp. We saw what happened with QB play when Jordan Travis wasn’t healthy last year, and his running style makes him more prone to injuries.
However, he’s added some weight, and the improved ability to pass will likely decrease the number of times he needs to use his legs.
FSU should be fine at the quarterback position from here on out under Mike Norvell.
Recruiting Momentum
It’s funny because recruiting was one of the areas most folks were most concerned about under Mike Norvell. However, there is a method to how Mike Norvell and the staff goes about it.
I wrote about how they used the pandemic to their advantage last year. They spent that time evaluating and offering 2022, 2023, and 2024 recruits, and that decision is paying off big time now.
The amount of top talent confirmed to attend the FSU spring game on April 10th is astounding. An incredible number of five-stars and blue-chip players from multiple recruiting classes will be in attendance.
I expect at least one or two commitments to happen between now and that weekend. Five-star commit Travis Hunter and four-star commit Nicco Marchiol are putting in a lot of work explaining why others should join them in Tallahassee. Marchiol was on campus from Arizona last week and plans to make the trip back on April 10th.
It’ll be his third trip to Tallahassee in 2021. When a quality player is traveling that distance, that often, players will believe what he has to say about the place.
All the Noles need to do is show improvement on the field in 2021, and it’ll be off to the races.