FSU football: Where's the player leadership on 2024 team?

One of the major issues Mike Norvell inherited when he became the head coach at FSU was the lack of leadership among the players. The team was soft, mentally weak, and shriveled up in the face of adversity. However, that changed under Mike Norvell, and the program developed leaders like Jermaine Johnson, Jammie Robinson, Jordan Travis, Kalen DeLoach, Jared Verse, and Renardo Green. The days of celebrating for doing absolutely nothing while losing were gone. The days of a turnover snowballing into another blowout loss were gone. The dumb and undisciplined penalties were gone. The players built trust and played for one another. When transfers came, they had to buy into the culture.

Those days seem long gone as I've watched players celebrate making a tackle when opposing offenses make a seven-yard gain. The dumb and undisciplined penalties have returned, and I could feel the team stop fighting against SMU once the penalty got called for a facemask after the defense had gotten a three-and-out.

This 2024 team isn't a player-led team anymore. The players seem to be going through the motions at practice. Mike Norvell sprinting from the huddle down the field used to have a convoy of multiple guys running at top speed. Here's what it looked like on Tuesday:

A walk-on defensive end, Dante Anderson, was the only player to show any heart whatsoever. The defensive linemen were normally the only guys who would race Mike Norvell. A small group can be seen literally jogging about 20 yards behind.

Mike Norvell loved to say "How you do anything is how you do everything."

Players can lead in different ways. Some guys are vocal, others lead by example. A select few can do both, but ultimately it comes down to the best players on the team doing it. It takes a guy who's been playing well to hold his teammates accountable, but a guy who's been dropping passes or not executing their job holds no weight.

Unfortunately, only a handful of players have played well through five games. Nobody is perfect, but Ja'Khi Douglas, Lawrance Toafili, and Joshua Farmer have stood out. Usually, the quarterback is someone who leads, but that's not the case with DJ Uiagalelei. His play doesn't warrant it and he'll be gone in a few months.

Brock Glenn will get his first start against Clemson on Saturday night. Clemson has a top-tier defense and it'll likely get ugly, but it'll be an opportunity for Glenn to show leadership traits. Somebody on this team has to step up and take charge if they want things to change. That's usually the quarterback, but it's not limited to that position. It's not a talent issue. It's a guys not doing their job and being held accountable issue. It starts at practice, meetings, and in the weight room. Nothing's going to change until the players start holding one another accountable again.