Danny Kanell always has some strong opinions and when they involve Florida State it becomes much more personal.
The former FSU quarterback-turned-college football pundit doesn't appear ready to completely wipe his hands of Mike Norvell. But he is keeping his eye on the situation and, like all of us, believes that Norvell's days could be numbered if the ACC losses continue.
"It is unacceptable by Florida State standards. I will say I don't think it's time to fire anybody. The win total was 7.5 based on the roster that was out there. Let's see how it goes," Kanell said.
FSU just seems like it is in a position that will just keep the football program on a treadmill for a while. Norvell's buyout is huge and the argument that the focus should be on player investment instead of paying former coaches is sound, but who's choosing the players?
If Norvell dismissed current GM of personnel Darrick Yray and hired someone with more experience in personnel evaluation and dealing with agents, etc., would that help with the roster building? It's hard to see boosters putting up more money for this regime when the process is not effective.
Last year, Rivals/On3 host Josh Newberg placed the blame for FSU's poor roster building on the feet of Yray.
He's made a mess of FSU's NIL distribution behind the scenes.
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) September 14, 2024
Obviously had a heavy hand in bringing DJU from Oregon State.
Has significantly lost ground in the transfer portal, compared to before he arrived, FSU was ahead of the curve.
The waiting is the hardest part
FSU should win Saturday night at the farm. Stanford isn't a good team, even though they are much better at hope than on the road. 8-4 was always the realistic goal for this season. Truthfully, 7-5 seems much more likely at this point. It's not great, and I don't think the boosters are excited about Norvell and will probably balk at giving him more money for players. But this is probably who he is and, with the buyout being what it is, FSU is probably committed to him through 2026.
Kanell seems to agree, but he's leaving the door open for a quick change.
"Let's see how you stack up against Clemson, who's getting better. Let's see how you stack up against Florida," Kanell added. "But, my goodness, you have to win an ACC game before you can start talking about those. And, unfortunately, if they [lose] on the road to Stanford, we might be doing an emergency podcast."