FSU football: 5 narratives Mike Norvell destroyed in 2023

High School Recruiting

Mike Norvell can't recruit high school players and relies on the transfer portal. That's what the detractors said, but this is the biggest area Mike Norvell crushed the narrative. Mike Norvell had not finished with a top 15 recruiting class before finishing No. 9 with the 2024 recruiting class that signed earlier this week. However, that was by choice. Mike Norvell knew he needed to improve and compete on the field immediately in 2021 and 2022. It's why he concentrated more on the transfer portal and not high school players because even blue-chip players rarely contribute at a high level as freshmen.

However, when we look at the last two recruiting classes, you'll see the trend begin to shift. Mike Norvell signed 19 (nine blue-chip) high school players in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He signed 22 (15 blue-chip) high school players in the 2024 recruiting cycle. That's a 58.5 percent blue-chip ratio over the last two recruiting classes, with this year's recruiting class checking in at 68 percent blue-chip. Only six teams ranked above FSU in the top eight had a higher per-player average (Miami wasn't one of them). FSU signed five of the top 100 players nationally and nine of the top 200.