FSU football: Why eight wins should be expectation in 2022
By Kelvin Hunt
No Excuses
I will be the first to tell you Mike Norvell inherited an absolute cluster in December 2019. The team had a losing culture, no leadership, underdeveloped players, huge holes from failure to address needs in recruiting, and then the pandemic hit three months later.
There was no offseason to learn the offense or defense. There was no offseason to lift and get bigger, faster, and stronger. Coaches had to recruit and sign players they never met in person and never had an opportunity to develop a bond and trust with the players on the roster.
That led to recruiting misses and more blowout losses. However, the program had a spring, summer, and fall camp in 2021 once fears regarding the pandemic seemed to subside. The players began to learn the schemes and began to trust what the coaches taught.
In turn, the coaches understood strengths and weaknesses of each player and had a better understanding of what players fit different roles the best.
Those things, coupled with players from the transfer portal, are why we saw the gap between FSU and its competition close in 2021.
I believe if Jordan Travis doesn’t miss a game in 2021, the Noles go at least 7-5 or 6-6 at worst. They likely win against Jacksonville State, NC State, or Florida. The COVID excuse has expired.
The not having a true offseason has expired. They return a ton of experience on both sides of the ball and have added more players to upgrade the overall roster talent.