Mike Norvell failures against Stanford have now extended to the recruiting trail

All that good will that Mike Norvell had after landing blue-chip defensive lineman Sam LeJeune...gone in an instant.

In can only be described as a head scratcher, Valdosta athlete Marquis Fennell pulled a late switcheroo on Norvell and FSU when he decided to shun the Seminoles and commit to Stanford. FSU was a huge favorite to land the player about 90 minutes from campus, and it was a recruit that Norvell was personally very invested in. Despite all of that, Fennell, a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder who could play running back or slot receiver, chose the Cardinal over FSU and Colorado. He took an official visit to Tallahassee on June 5, and it was a little surprising that he didn't commit during that trip. 

READ MORE: Key FSU 3-star target leaves time for a Mike Norvell push with late-June commit date set

Mike Norvell gets stuffed in a locker by Stanford...again

Listen, I'm not one to fault any kid for going to Stanford. It's one of the finest institutions in the country and the list of successful alumni that have gone on to do amazing things is very deep. So I get it.

But FSU fans have to be livid. This is a mid-level P4 prospect from Valdosta that wasn't getting any Big 10 or SEC traction. These should be EASY recruiting wins for Norvell. An easy win that doesn't do much for the rankings, but would at least show that he's doing something out on the trail. Instead, he let Fennell absolutely punk him, with people from Warchant and Noles247 on site expecting an FSU commitment. Most of the people in attendance were reportedly wearing FSU gear ready to celebrate one of their players going to the school right down the road on Interstate. 10 (or Hwy 90 and 84 if you choose the scenic route).

Everyone thought this was going to be one of those players that Norvell grabs against lesser recruiting competition. But if he can't even land these types of recruits, why is he even bothering? At this point, Norvell should just go through the motions until he gets fired. He's not serious about competing at the highest level and no one in Tallahassee believes he would be successful even if he tried. Miami has four five-star recruits in its class. Jon Sumrall walked in Gainesville in mid-December and got a five-star offensive lineman to commit to him in his first four months, but Mike Norvell can't even sign mid-level recruits in his backyard. 

READ MORE: Florida State gets a crucial crystal ball prediction in the midst of official visits

No one is ever going to confuse Norvell for a dynamic recruiter. He seems like a nice guy that has bad press conferences where he struggles to explain anything. I think FSU fans have long stopped expecting greatness or even very good results from him. They just want the program not to continue to be embarrassed on the trail by recruits that should be Plan C guys for a program with FSU's pedigree. 

Again, I don't blame Fennell. There's probably more upside to going to Stanford and getting that degree than playing for Norvell. But the fans deserve better than what they're getting right now. 

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