FSU football: Does Mike Norvell value offense more than defense?

Norvell’s recruiting

Trying to explain this could get complicated, so we’ll start here. I think it’s fair to state FSU had more defensive talent on the roster than offense when Mike Norvell took the job.

He didn’t have much at QB, the offensive line was a wreck, and the options at receiver were paltry. Ironically, 10 of the 17 high school signees were on the defensive side.

FSU took 12 players from the portal, and eight were on the defensive side. If we fast-forward to the 2022 recruiting cycle, FSU signed 17 high school players, with 10 on the offensive side.

FSU took 14 transfer players, and 10 were on the offensive side.

We must remember FSU could only evaluate players face-to-face for about a six-month period in those two recruiting cycles due to the pandemic.

Norvell understood they needed to build an offensive line foundation with the 2022 recruiting class, while continuing to supplement via the portal. However, they also signed multiple defensive players in the trenches, hoping to build depth there also.

FSU had to take more offensive players in the portal because they failed to sign a single wide receiver from the high school ranks. Plus, we know it takes receivers longer to contribute, so the move to use the transfer portal was a blessing in disguise(I pointed this out in real time on my podcast here). FSU added a few key pieces on defense. Jared Verse and Tatum Bethune were brought in to start, and they knew the secondary was shaky, so they added some experience with Greedy Vance from Louisville.

If we fast forward to the 2023 recruiting cycle, FSU signed 18 high school players, with 12 on the defensive side.

They took 10 transfers, with six on the offensive side. However, all four defensive players will likely start or play a starter number of snaps in 2023.

At this point, Mike Norvell is simply trying to fill holes on the roster to win games so they can recruit at a higher level.