We’re only a few years removed from Florida State essentially suing the ACC because it was too good and too big a brand to be stuck in the conference with its lengthy and not particularly lucrative TV deal. In some ways, it’s true. The Seminoles are one of the premier brands in the ACC, and as such, they belong at the top with the likes of Miami and Clemson.Â
However, FSU isn’t spending like the powerhouse it expects itself to be. The Noles were late to adapt to the NIL era. So, after signing Mike Norvell, who isn’t a particularly motivated recruiter, regardless of the resources backing him, to a massive extension coming out of the 2023 season, they are stuck with a lame duck head coach who has a $50 million buyout, massive debt from a stadium renovation, and worst of all, an apathetic donor base.Â
That’s a recipe for a recruiting disaster precisely like the one that is currently unfolding in Tallahassee. With just seven recruits in place after longtime commit Mekhi Williams flipped to Wisconsin this week, Norvell’s class ranks No. 43 in the nation, and it could get even worse with official visits this weekend.Â
Jemari Foreman taking official visit to Louisville on Friday, June 5
Louisville is one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country without a major professional sports franchise. So, the Louisville basketball program essentially had a blank check to load up in the Transfer Portal this offseason. Louisville football, though, doesn’t quite have the same warchest of resources at its disposal.Â
Yet, FSU’s maelstrom of issues has led the program to the point where Pete Nakos of On3 reported that FSU’s NIL spending actually falls short of what Jeff Brohm has to spend on his roster in Louisville. That was an alarming revelation for one of the premier programs in the ACC, and this weekend could produce the results of that lack of spending, putting Foreman firmly on flip watch.Â
A 6-foot 180-pound safety from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Foreman is the 596th-ranked player in the country by Rivals Industry and the third-highest-rated recruit in Norvell’s class. He pledged to the Seminoles in September and has had multiple programs attempt to flip him since that decision.Â
At this point in the cycle, Louisville is applying the most pressure, and not only can the Cardinals, at least theoretically, extend a more lucrative financial package to him, but they can sell him on the program’s stability. After being rumored for multiple jobs in a busy coaching carousel this offseason, Jeff Brohm landed an eight-year, $64.8 million extension to stay put. He’s won 28 games over his three seasons at Louisville and appears to be locked in for the long haul.Â
Meanwhile, in Tallahassee, the only certainty seems to be that Mike Norvell is going to be on his way out the moment FSU feels it can swallow his costly buyout. If Foreman flips to Louisville after Williams chose the Badgers over the Noles, it would take a bad recruiting cycle and make it much worse.
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