FSU football: 3 thoughts on FSU coaches receiving contract extensions

Norvell's Track Record

Mike Norvell has a track record of having coaches leave his coaching tree for better opportunities. He also has a track record for coaches who like to work for him. For those wondering why these three guys are not getting pursued by other schools? Papuchis and Shannon have been defensive coordinators and a Power-Five head coach. They have worked at nearly 10 different schools between them. Haggins is likely a lifelong Seminole until he retires and likely passed up numerous jobs elsewhere. Has Mike Norvell made changes to his coaching staff when he felt it was needed? He escorted Chris Marve to Virginia Tech and Marcus Woodson to Arkansas because they were not getting the job done, and both got promotions. However, the guys he replaced him with were upgrades.

The linebacker room has improved leaps and bounds under Randy Shannon, and the job Patrick Surtain did in year one in the FSU secondary was outstanding. Don't believe it? Go put on a film of Kalen DeLoach from 2020 and 2021, and then watch from 2023. The FSU secondary was light years better in 2023 than in 2022(some of that credit must go to an improved defensive line). I say it all the time but player development isn't a video game. You don't recruit five-stars, put them in as true freshmen, and they play at an All-American level. The great Telvin Smith had 17 tackles as a freshman. He progressed every season. Omar Graham Jr.(redshirt freshman) and Blake Nichelson (freshman) had 23 and 17 tackles, respectively in 2023. Guess who else had a similar trajectory as Telvin Smith? A guy coached by Randy Shannon, Tatum Bethune. I'm not saying these guys will be the next Telvin Smith, but it takes time for guys to develop.

Think of all the blue-chip linebackers signed by FSU over the past 15 seasons that did absolutely nothing: Delvin Purifoy, Kain Daub, Sh'Mar Kilby-Lane, Josh Brown, Tyrell Lyons, Ukeme Eligwe, and others. Here's a great example. Kalen DeLoach was a four-star recruit and the No. 224 player and No. 13 OLB out of high school. Tatum Bethune was three-star recruit and the No. 1,347 player and No. 100 OLB out of high school. Go look at their career stats and tell me who was the most productive.

I also remember Ron Dugans on the hot seat with fans(and myself), not signing a single receiver in the 2022 recruiting class. While Mike Norvell did look to replace him, look how things worked out over the past few seasons. The receiver room will have two guys drafted in a few months(one heavily developed by Dugans) and several blue-chip receivers on the roster.