Mike Norvell's Understanding
Mike Norvell knows what a good defense looks like as an offensive-minded coach. I think he’s learned a lot over his nearly six-year tenure.
When he took the job, he simply brought over Adam Fuller from Memphis as his defensive coordinator. Fuller had varying success and probably took more blame than deserved. He wasn’t a dynamic recruiter, and his defenses became too predictable unless he had top-tier talent at specific positions.
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White has shown he can do more with less overall talent and has implemented defenses that Adam Fuller wanted to implement. What do I mean by that? Fuller mentioned he wanted to give the offense a picture but disguise it to try to cause confusion. The only problem is that he almost always used a four-man rush with man-to-man coverage.
White uses multiple fronts that can play zone or man-to-man coverage. His defensive lines stunt/twist and play all types of games to help free up the linebackers and others. I think Mike Norvell saw the value in that when they played against Tony White when he was at Syracuse, and that’s one of the top reasons he got the job at FSU.
In short, I think Mike Norvell has a much better idea of what it takes to be a great defensive coordinator. If Tony White left, I’d be confident he would make another good hire, especially if FSU was playing at a high level. The job would be extremely attractive because others would see it as a fast track to a head coaching gig. Heck, Adam Fuller is coaching in the NFL after getting fired!