FSU football: Why winning has been the ultimate recruiting elixir
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football had Legacy Weekend over the past few days, and it was an incredible recruiting weekend for the coaching staff.
They had several former players on campus: Jameis Winston, Jermaine Johnson, Jashaun Corbin, Keir Thomas, and others there to attend Johnson’s All-American Brick Ceremony. It was an opportunity for the staff to use some recent star power to interact with recruits and provide a unique experience.
I think some people are surprised at the quality of recruits with FSU on their radar. If we recall, Mike Norvell got some quality players on campus right before the pandemic shut everything down in the spring of 2020.
Of course, the pandemic threw a monkey wrench in everything, which made year one of the Norvell era almost useless compared to what a coach can normally do. Norvell didn’t have the opportunity to cash in on the new car smell.
An awful product on the field compounded the issue, but fans somehow thought FSU should automatically sign elite recruits no matter what. Luckily, the transfer portal become available, and Norvell was smart enough to take that route to improve the program much more quickly.
FSU’s record improved in 2021 over 2020, and they signed better recruits. The same happened as the Noles drastically improved their record in 2022 over 2021.
The quality of recruit continued to improve. There’s a small segment of social media folks who love to say recruiters recruit no matter what.
There is a little truth to that. Alex Atkins is a good example, but a team winning has more impact than anything.