Typically, for a coach on a set as red-hot as Mike Norvell’s, evaluating the program’s future recruiting classes is a frivolous endeavor. There’s little chance that Norvell is the head coach of Florida State by the time the current 2027 class gets to campus, not to mention 2028.
However, things in Tallahassee are working a little bit differently this offseason. Florida State hired John Garrett as its general manager of player personnel to lead a revamped front office, one that will presumably be in place after Norvell’s tenure finally comes to a merciful, and for him, a profitable end.
That makes Florida State’s activity in the 2028 class worth monitoring, and it seems they’re having some positive early returns with four-star quarterback Chandler Dyson. Chad Simmons of Rivals named Florida State as the early favorite for the No. 12 QB in the country from Warner Robins, Georgia.
Florida State named the “early favorite” for Chandler Dyson
At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Dyson is oozing with tools to become a high-level collegiate quarterback. He’s a fast straight-line runner, using his long strides to get up to speed and erase pursuit angles, and he can create explosive plays with his big arm and quick over-the-top release. He needs to grow into his game, but few high school players have his combination of tackle-breaking and touch as a thrower, let alone a high school sophomore, as he was last season.
If Norvell isn’t the coach, Dyson can fit a multitude of schemes. If everything clicks for him, then he’s the type of player that if your offense doesn’t work for him, it’s a bad offense. He would certainly work for Norvell, though, and is the type of big-bodied dual-threat he has pursued in the past, 5-foot-11 Tommy Castellanos, who was a Gus Malzahn guy, notwithstanding.
Is he a Norvell guy or a Garrett guy? That’s the pertinent question when it comes to Florida State recruits. This early, it’s unlikely that they’re talking money, and that’s when it will truly become clear because right now at Florida State, Garrett has the power to pursue, not Norvell.
Still, I’m going to assume he’s a Garrett guy because if a recruit is showing interest in Florida State right now, it’s almost certainly because they believe in the front office and can see the long-term vision. Otherwise, why would you climb aboard Norvell’s sinking ship?
2027 is a lost class for Florida State. The Noles are sitting outside the top 50 nationally and have just 13 commits. They likely have to overpay to land them, so Garrett appears to be zeroing in on the players he’s willing to pony up for and who he believes will stick around through the coaching transition.
2028, though, could be the start of the rebuild, and Dyson, though he’s not the top QB in the class, could be a legitimate centerpiece for Garrett to build around. If he’s interested, then it would figure he understands that and sees the vision, which can only be a positive sign in an offseason that hasn’t had many of them.
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