TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Coach Mike Norvell has spent years slowly rebuilding Florida State and suddenly turned the Seminoles into championship contenders last season.
His long-term plan included adding talented transfers, winning games and positioning the program to recruit many of the state’s best players. It showed up on track in 2023 when the Seminoles went undefeated in the regular season and won the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
However, their current recruiting class threatens to be as much of a debacle as anything that has happened on the field in the past three months. Florida State (1-9), college football’s biggest disappointment this season, has lost nearly as many recruits as it has lost games in 2024.
Norvell’s class has been reduced to 11 after offensive lineman Daniel Pierre Louis left for Florida. Pierre Louis made the move after watching the Gators upset LSU — nearly a week after Norvell fired three assistants, including offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins.
The Seminoles also recently lost four-star quarterback Tramell Jones to Florida. Defensive end Javion Hilson and receivers CJ Wiley and Daylan McCutcheon also left the skidding Seminoles behind. Their decisions came after defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugans were let go.
“It’s hard for kids, but they also understand all the things that are coming their way,” Norvell said. “And the opportunity here has not changed. It’s about sharing as much as I can with them, just the vision for what lies ahead. We all know the expectation.”
The prospects certainly believed they were committing to an FSU program on the rise, one expected to be part of the College Football Playoff. Instead, the ‘Noles are last in the Atlantic Coast Conference heading into a home game against lower division Charleston Southern (1-9).
And their recruiting class currently doesn’t include quarterback or receiver, positions where a difference-maker is needed.
Even where Norvell’s class was built early, with commitments from four offensive linemen, there are doubts about how many others will remain in place with Atkins gone.
Norvell has had at least 17 high school signees in each of his first five classes in Tallahassee. But getting close to that number seems difficult for an early signing period that has been pushed back to December 4. The potential lack of quality and quantity in the classroom could impact the program not only in 2025, but years down the road.
While Norvell said he spent much of the bye week talking to candidates for his three staff openings, Florida State’s commits and targets may not know who their coordinators will be when signing day arrives.
Norvell, meanwhile, will likely have to turn to the transfer portal again to find production and leadership. It’s an area where Norvell has found consistent success, but also fell short this past offseason.
Regardless of how the roster is built, Norvell said it’s not as simple as just going out and hiring assistants known as recruiters.
“You have to have the relationship, but you also have to have the development factor that goes along with that, and then making sure that the evaluation piece of it is also critical,” Norvell said. “I think that’s one of the things we need to do to make sure that the guys we bring are the right fit as coaches, players and everyone involved that can really embrace us and help us move forward in all these areas. “
