FSU sports information:

The No. 23 Florida State volleyball team (16-5, 8-3) took on one of its newest ACC opponents, the California Golden Bears (10-13, 2-9) at Tully Gym. The Noles began their ACC series history against Cal with a complete sweep (25-23, 25-19, 25-18) on Friday night.

During a dramatic first set, both teams went back and forth on points, neither able to find a rhythm. With Cal leading 23-21, the Noles successfully put together four consecutive points capped off with a big block Kelsey Perry and Iane Henke to close the first set with a narrow win.

Set two began with the Noles jumping ahead 6-1 after winning the first serve. Florida State increased its lead to 19-9 and was able to take 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-19 win.

The Noles got off to another hot start in set three as they jumped out to a 6-1 lead. The Bears cut the lead to two on two separate occasions, but the Noles increased the lead to 20-12 and cruised to a 25-18 set three victory to take the match.

Offensively the Noles were spectacular as they hit .406 which was their second-highest hitting percentage of the season. Kyleene Filimaua led the way as she tied her career high with 14 kills on 21 swings while adding three blocks. Audrey Koenig picked up her 18th-consecutive match with 10 or more kills as she notched 11 kills on 20 attempts for a season-high .500 hitting percentage. Taylor Head continued her solid play as she notched her sixth double digit kill match in her last seven matches with 11 kills.

The Noles will continue their weekend with a match against No. 5 Stanford at home on Sunday. First serve is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN.

Instead of talking to Link Jarrett after Friday's scrimmage, we instead caught up with the three FSU baseball assistant coaches, Micah Posey, Ty Megahee and Brad Vanderglas.

Here's the full video of these interviews, providing a unique perspective on how their respective units progressed this fall.

Taking grandkids to the game Saturday. I have 4 season tickets in section 8 but still short 1. Anybody got an extra they will part with?

From Rivals analyst Adam Gorney, 10 big visits this weekend. Includes four-star DT Jeramiah McCloud (UF commit) visiting FSU and four-star TE commit Chase Loftin visiting Nebraska:

12 months ago, Jacob Rizy was nearing the end of an 8-2 season at Harvard. Now, he's coming off his first career FSU start vs. Miami.

After working hard over the last few months to make the jump from Ivy League to P4 football, he knows he has room for further growth after a promising debut last week.

Freshman QB Luke Kromenhoek could play in two of FSU's final four games while remaining redshirt eligible.

Will he redshirt? Would he better served getting reps in each of the final four games? Mike Norvell says they are taking that decision on a weekly basis.

Seminoles have some trouble with West Florida's press early but pull away in 4Q

Look for more later tonight

She was 79.

What a mess they made of that on the field.

On Thursday's edition of the Osceola's Seminole Sidelines, Patrick Burnham and Jerry Kutz discuss Florida State's matchup with North Carolina on Saturday. Jerry gives updates on the football only facility, too.

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Is the market cooling off in your area? Still climbing a bit or are prices stabilizing?
My city (Jax) is not really declining price wise but the market is definitely a bit slower.
I have noticed that older homes are more often undergoing updating and renovations though.

The FSU men's basketball team plays its second and final exhibition game on Thursday against West Florida at 3 p.m. Early start with Halloween. No TV or streaming but we'll have some notes here as well as updates and stats in the thread below.

FSU opened up with an exhibition win over St. Leo. Malique Ewin scored 19 points and Jamir Watkins had 18 points. The Seminoles were able to show all of their newcomers, with 12 playing 10 or more minutes. Curt Weiler had takeaways on the Seminoles.

Watkins is clearly looking to refine his all-around game, taking a number of jumpers / 3-pointers to help the Seminoles and raise his NBA draft stock.

If you're in Tallahassee, home games will be heard on WFLA 100.7 FM beginning with Monday's regular-season opener against Northern Kentucky (7 p.m.). That game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

FSU also showed off its new black jerseys yesterday:

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FSU sports information:

Florida State senior Makayla Timpson was named to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award watch list on Thursday. The accolade is a part of the Naismith Starting 5 awards.

Timpson was among the 20 players in the nation named to the preseason list and one of five from the ACC.

On Monday Timpson was among the 50 players on the watch list for the Naismith Player of the Year, along with Ta’Niya Latson. Timpson ranked No. 48 on the World Exposure Report Players to Watch this season and was selected for the Preseason All-ACC Team for the second time in her career.

Timpson has registered 187 career blocks and 744 rebounds in 98 games played. Her 31-career double-doubles rank third, just 10 off the program record set by Natasha Howard (2011-14) at 41. She ranks fourth in career blocks and 12th in rebounds in FSU history.

Timpson became the single-season program leader in double-doubles (18), blocked shots (87) and rebound (341) following 2023-24. She finished in the top 15 nationally in blocks per game (10th), double-doubles (13th) and rebounds (14th).

The Edison, Ga., native, is a two-time ACC All-Defensive Team selection. Timpson was named to the All-ACC First Team in 2024 and Second Team in 2023. In 2023 she was voted the league’s Most Improved Player.

Katrina McClain was a prolific rebounder and terrific scorer in a career that spanned three Olympic Games, three continents, and countless driveways, backyards, and arenas all over the world. Before she earned her stripes for USA Basketball, McClain starred at the University of Georgia where she was a two-time Kodak All-America and the WBCA National Player of the Year her senior season. She left Georgia as the school's second all-time leading scorer and rebounder, averaging a double-double her final two seasons in Athens. The Lady Bulldogs reached the 1985 NCAA Final Four and national championship game with McClain controlling the paint and Teresa Edwards running the offense. The two-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year finished her international career with two Olympic gold medals and one bronze, three FIBA World Championships medals, and five medals at the Goodwill Games, Pan Am Games, and World University Games. In all Katrina McClain appeared on eleven USA Basketball rosters becoming one of the most decorated athletes in USA Basketball history.

Regular season single game tickets are now on sale at the FSU Ticket office. The Seminoles will open the season at 11 a.m. on Nov. 4 against North Florida.

The general consensus is that Norvell will likely be shopping for some new coaches. Doesn't he need to pull
the trigger sooner than later because of the portal. Example, if he is hiring a new OL coach, they are the ones that will
be making evaluations. I don't really know how vested some of the coaches (majority) are in recruiting when they know they
will be looking for another job.

FSU sports information:

The No.13/NR Florida State cross country teams will race in the ACC Championship on Friday morning in Cary, N.C., at the WakeMed Soccer Park.

The men’s 8k will start at 9:30 a.m., followed by the women’s 6k at 10:30 a.m. Both races will air on theACC Networkand live timing will be available.

"Really excited to be on the ground here in Cary for ACC’s,” said assistant coach Ian Frazier. “Improvement has been the focus of the year and there’s no better place to reinforce that goal than at the first round of postseason competition. A lot of our younger guys will get the opportunity to step up and contribute this weekend, which I believe is going to do big things for our program moving forward.”

The men’s team will compete against six ranked teams in the USTFCCCA national poll. The Noles opened their season on August 30 at the UCF Invitational, capping off the team victory led by Kidus Misgina who took home the individual title in the 5k with a time of 14:32.4.

Student-athletes Kaden Levings and Lucas Bouquot both earned ACC Performer of the Week honors for their efforts this season. Levings opened his collegiate season at the Georgia Tech Invitational on October 4 in the 8k, crossing the line with a winning time of 25:07.6.

Bouquot led the Seminoles to its second team win of the season at the FSU XC Invitational on October 11, finishing in sixth with a career best of 24:43.0.

The women’s race will feature eight ranked teams ranked in the USTFCCCA top 30, including the No.13 Seminoles. The ACC currently fields the most ranked teams of any conference in the nation. The Seminoles received votes in the week four poll after climbing to No.13 following a ninth-place finish at the Wisconsin Pre-National Meet.

Bieke Schipperen led the Seminoles in the 6k race by placing 24th with a career best of 19:59.3. FSU scored 364 points, knocking off 12 ranked teams in the 36-team field. It was the second best finish for the women’s team on the course since 2014, when FSU placed eighth.

Lily Guinn and Jane Eiselstein captured ACC Performer of the Week honors this season. Guinn was named Freshman of the Week after making her collegiate debut on August 30 at the UCF Invitational in the 6k. The Norfolk, Virginia native guided the Noles to a perfect score of 15, winning with a time of 17:16.4.

Eiselstein won the women’s 6k at the Georgia Tech Invitational on October 4, helping FSU to its second team victory of the season behind a tally of 34 points. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native crossed the finish line with a winning time of 21:48.16.

“We are really looking forward to lining up on Friday,” said FSU head coach Cody Halsey. “The women have been working hard all season and I think they have built up a lot of momentum coming into ACCs. If we control what we can control and continue to show up like we have all season, I think we will walk away really proud of what we have accomplished this weekend. I feel confident in these women.”

Connecticut Women’s Basketball HC Geno Auriemma says of NIL: "I think it’s a test. It’s a test for whether people are full of sh-t or whether they’re serious. It’s a test for do we keep the charade of student-athlete and amateurism or do we call it what it is: semi-professional, pay-for-play sports? Either keep the charade of student-athlete – teams wouldn’t be going 3,000 miles to play conference games if it had anything to do with student athlete welfare, that’s number one, so we obviously threw that in the garbage can, so let's just call it what it is…and then let’s make it a business and figure out how do we manage this business. Other sports have done it. Pro sports have done it. They sign kids to contracts, and you're bound to your contract, and let's honor the terms of the contract. Let’s do it. You’ve already got kids holding out. You’ve already got guys playing and going ‘I ain't playing anymore until I get more money.’ So we've become professional sports. " He adds of the transfer portal: “How about we teach kids how to make a commitment and stick to it? … A coach can leave anytime he wants. I can. I have a buyout. That’s a great idea, let's sign kids to a contract and let’s put a buyout in it. Let’s make it a business because that's exactly what it is. That would fix it. And let's have a salary cap. … So, they're getting close, but they’ve got to start calling what it really is and not be ashamed of it. The kids aren't ashamed of it.” (link)"

##

So how do we implement those suggestions?
How do you add a buyout to a player's contract without violating anti trust laws?

Auriemma notes pro sports have done it. They've done it by making their "players" employees, forming a union, and arbitrating a salary cap and buy out framework that the players' union agreed to. It is a precedented path collegiate athletics could implement to end the Wild Wild West if and when they eventually choose to do so.

How do you feel about making athletes employees?
How do you feel about a national union of those employees, with a player representatives from each school, like the NFL does?
How do you feel about arbitration?

No matter how you feel -- for it or against it -- would the employee/union produce better results than the Wild Wild West?

Interesting article. It might help to read this objectively.

Hope you'll join the Osceola Staff for sports talk, cold drinks and hot food this Friday, Nov. 1 at Vice Society before the Block Party on Madison in College Town.
We'll be on the patio of Vice Society (right across from Bowden's) from 4-8 pm at which time the Marching Chiefs and Cheerleaders will kick off the Block Party's live music.
Come on out and allow the Osceola staff to thank you, pick up a free Osceola t-shirt, and to give each other a hug for the season we've endured. Lots to talk about prior to the North Carolina football game.
Look forward to seeing you there!
And a big thank you to those who cannot make it.

Just saw that UVA PG Jalen Warley has entered the portal due to Bennet leaving UVA. Curious as to where he ends up. @Bob Ferrante . He won't be eligible until 1st semester ends I believe.

A Florida State program that climbed to the pinnacle of college football achievement in 2023, finishing a 13-0 regular season, winning the ACC Championship, seeing 10 of their players taken in the NFL Draft, their head coach winning the 2023 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award, and is poised for a playoff bid in 2023, has fallen off the cliff in 2024.

Why has it happened and where does FSU go from here?

In this article we look at the process Florida State will take to evaluate Mike Norvell and each of the assistants on his coaching staff. We also look at all the costs of replacing the head coach, the cost of replacing assistants not just in terms of money, but in retaining players and commitments you want to keep. And we look at the optimum time to make those changes.

Process to evaluating, making coaching changes

FSU sports information:

The No. 6 Florida State soccer team (11-2-2, 6-2-1 ACC) travels south to conclude the regular season at Miami (5-7-4, 1-5-3 ACC) on Halloween night. The Seminoles will look to qualify for the ACC Tournament for a 30th straight season.

Florida State can automatically qualify for the 2024 ACC Women’s Soccer Tournament with a victory over Miami. Based on other results across the conference, the Seminoles can finish between the No. 2 seed and the No. 5 seed with a victory over the Hurricanes. The top six seeds will qualify for the tournament with the top two seeds earning a bye into the semifinal round.

FSU and Miami will meet for the 24th matchup in the series history dating back to 1998. The Seminoles have won the last four games between the in-state foes and dropped just one match in regulation against Hurricanes this century. Jordynn Dudley scored two second-half goals to decide the match at home last season right after scoring two goals at No. 1 North Carolina. Dudley is coming off a two goal performance in the victory over No. 4 North Carolina this season, earning her first career ACC Offensive Player of the Week award while also earning a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week.

The Seminoles totaled 15 goals over the last three games against three preseason ranked opponents including four goals over No. 4 North Carolina. All four goals were scored by underclassmen Dudley and Solai Washington as each recorded a brace. Dudley has two multi-goal performances against top-five opponents, both coming against North Carolina.

Huff leads the squad in all scoring categories with 10 goals and eight assists for 28 total points. Huff became the fastest to reach 20+ points in the past five seasons and has already matched her point tally from last season in nearly ten fewer games.

The freshman class has performed brightly with a combined 60 total points, 20 goals and 20 assists. This marks the most freshmen goal contributions in the past five seasons across all three metrics. Wrianna Hudson leads the class with six goals and five assists. Four of the six freshmen field players have contributed double-digit points inside 15 games.

FSU has scored 28 goals in ACC play, tied for the third most in program history. The defense has kept eight clean sheets including three conference game shutouts.

The 6 p.m. game will be available to watch on ACC Network. Live video and stats will be available at Seminoles.com.

FSU sports information:

The No. 12 Florida State men’s golf team defeated Ohio State 3-1-1 in the consolation round of the East Lake Cup on Wednesday.

Luke Clanton, Tyler Weaver, and Patrick McCann won their matches to give the Seminoles the victory over the Buckeyes.

McCann was the first to tee off and went up two after winning holes one and three behind a pair of birdies. The match went back and forth until his opponent, Tyler Sabo tied the match on the 11th hole. After tying the next five holes, McCann went up one with one to play after posting an eagle on 17.

McCann also won the 18th, finishing the match up 2, giving the Seminoles the 1-0 advantage.

With Jack Bigham tied in his match, Carson Brewer fell 4&2.

However, Luke Clanton dominated his match, leading wire-to-wire to put FSU ahead 2-1. The top-ranked world amateur went up five after the ninth hole and secured the 5&4 win after a par on 14.

Tyler Weaver won the first hole behind a birdie and never looked back, leading the entire match. Weaver extended his lead, up four after the sixth hole and put away the win 3&2 after a par on 16.

Bigham finished 18 holes tied, as FSU won 3-1-1.

East Lake Cup Individual Scores
T4. Luke Clanton – 69
T4. Tyler Weaver – 69
T4. Patrick McCann – 69
T13. Jack Bigham – 74
T15. Carson Brewer – 75

Team Scores
No. 11 Georgia Tech – 8
No. 12 Florida State - 7
No. 2 Auburn - 7
Ohio State +2

No. 12 FSU vs. No. 2 Auburn
Auburn Won 3-1
Ryan Eshleman (Auburn) def. Patrick McCann (FSU) 5&4
Brendan Valdea (Auburn) def. Jack Bigham (FSU) 3&1
Luke Clanton (FSU) def. Jackson Koivun (Auburn) 3&2
Josiah Gilbert (Auburn) def. Carson Brewer (FSU) 2&1
Tyler Weaver (FSU) Up 1 with two to play over Carson Bacha (Auburn)

No. 12 FSU vs. Ohio State

FSU Won 3-1-1
Patrick McCann (FSU) def. Tyler Sabo (Ohio State) 2 Up
Jack Bigham (FSU) tied Joe Wilson IV (Ohio State)
Vaughn Harber (Ohio State) def. Carson Brewer (FSU) 4&2
Luke Clanton (FSU) def. Jack Vojtko (Ohio State) 5&4
Tyler Weaver (FSU) def. Topher Reed (Ohio State) 3&2

FSU held its final practice availability before Saturday's 3:30 p.m. home game vs. North Carolina Wednesday morning. In his interview after practice, head coach Mike Norvell didn't hold back his disappointment towards the showing the offense put on the field during the day's work. He admitted that FSU was without a few offensive players during the day's work (while saying they should be back within the next few days) and that some of the younger players didn't take advantage of that opportunity like he hoped they would.

"Had some guys that were down today offensively, and guys that got opportunity. And have to make sure we're capitalizing on those opportunities that you get. Everyone talks about wanting more, but when it's thrown there at you, you've got to show that you're ready for more," Norvell said Wednesday. "I thought there were some areas we have to be cleaner and better there. Offensively, should have those guys back hopefully in the next day or so, we'll see. Thought we had some missed opportunities there on certain position groups on the offensive side of the ball. Had some solid response, but not just as consistent throughout what we needed. So, go to work, keep getting better."

Here are the Osceola staff observations from Wednesday morning's practice:

• The defense winning the day started from the very first team period of work. A one-minute drill drive was totally derailed by pressure from the defensive line. Darrell Jackson had a pressure on second down that forced a throwaway and KJ Sampson had a "sack" on fourth down to force a quick four-and-out stop for the defense. Jackson added another "sack" later in 11-on-11, continuing to build on his two-sack showing last week at Miami.
• I didn't think it was the sharpest day for the quarterbacks. Both Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek had a few nice throws, but they weren't consistently accurate enough on the day, sailing quite a few throws in 1-on-1s over the intender receiver's heads. But the secondary also made it hard on both of them on the day. Edwin Joseph had a pair of pass breakups in 1-on-1s and another on the goal line while KJ Kirkland, Fentrell Cypress and Cai Bates all tallied PBUs during 1-on-1s as well.. The secondary wasn't making it easy on the passing game Wednesday morning. But Kromenhoek had a few nice passes, including a 1-on-1 deep ball down the sideline to Amaree Williams in stride while Glenn used the middle of the field well for chunk gains during the middle 11-on-11 period, had an exceptional outside post deep shot to Hykeem Williams in pass-skelly work and found BJ Gibson for a touchdown during goal line/red zone work.
• Probably the most impressive defensive back on the day, though, was Ja'Bril Rawls. In 11-on-11, he made a ridiculous leaping interception where he high-pointed a downfield pass and fell backwards onto his back, securing the ball for a pick. He also added a pair of PBUs in the 7-on-7 pass skelly period.
• Walk-on linebacker AJ Cottrill, who has become quite a special teams player, also made quite a few plays during goal line/red zone work Wednesday. In short succession, he had a "sack" when coming off the edge as a blitzer and also tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage. Patrick Payton also added a batted pass at the line during this period of practice.