Mike Norvell said today that the depth charts FSU puts out each week really mean nothing.

But the changes on this week’s depth chart, at QB, tight end and on the OL, show that he’s aware of the bad optics of continuing to start offensive players who have struggled this season.

What we saw yesterday was nothing short of a disaster. I hear about the SNUB....The SNUB is an EXCUSE. I have discussed this with Pat, JP and the rest of the crew. My father who I have not agreed on MUCH once told me that people take kindness as a weakness. I am a very kind person to people who deal with me. I believe in helping people out but many take that as a weakness. Mike Norvell is a super kind person. I think he is one of the nicest and most genuine people YOU WILL EVER MEET. When FSU was searching for a new coach I wanted guys like PJ Fleck who I know wanted the job. I wanted James Franklin who I know personally. I had many coaches who I felt were other options at the time. Since that time MN has won me over. I am a big fan of his after what he accomplished the past two seasons.....


Back to the people take kindness as a weakness....Mike is the ultimate GOOD GUY. FSU fans for years had Bobby....Bobby was nice but don't let that fool you, Bobby was an assassin. He wanted to kill and gut you afterwards. He would charm you but then try and destroy you on the football field. When Miami was on probation...Bobby got back at Miami and kept scoring. He had both....I think that MN had great intentions after the SNUB....You saw it on his face when ESPN had FSU on live TV for all to watch to only kick him in the nuts. Mike and FSU program was kicked in the nuts BUT....IN COACHING WHAT DO YOU HEAR ALL THE TIME...Life is not Fair....Calls are going to go against you. We hear these words all the time....REALITY...Mike let his kindness get in the way and now we have the fallout. The moment that SNUB happened and as a coach you allow every single one of those players make the decision on the BOWL GAME against Georgia, YOU LOST SOMETHING. You are trying to do right by the players but everyone from the coaches, to administrators EVERYONE ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN...Because EVERYONE FELT SLIGHTED. Mike had a message and it came to light...He built the team up and someone (ESPN) took that away....BUT THEY TOOK SOMETHING ELSE AWAY THAT DAY. They took away FSU will to fight. I coach and while at the lower levels you see politics come into sports all the time...You learn to deal with it and move on. FSU has yet to move on.

I hate to look in the past but I WILL FOR ONE MOMENT. At the time of the SNUB -FSU coaches and admin needed a different approach. It should have been we are unbeaten (13-0) These (FILL IN THE BLANK) don't want to reward us we will show them and gone out and played against Georgia. I truly believe that would have been Bobby's message. It would have been JIMBO. FSU had a chance to show everyone and say afterwards (I TOLD YOU SO). Instead the players quit and left the program out out to dry. THIS IS REALITY....

NOW WHAT? That is the single BIGGEST QUESTION ON EVERYONE'S Mind. There are five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance FSU fans are in the ANGRY STAGE. I have already gotten to the acceptance stage. I know coach Salva was at the anger stage last night. Football is supposed to be fun and this is not FUN....Football for most fans and boosters is now not just for FUN it is an investment. It cost money to go to these games. It cost money to fund these teams and EVERYONE DESERVES BETTER.

NOW I AM GOING TO SAY IT.....THE PORTAL - Now players were transferring before the PORTAL...It just recently became a thing. I have never been a fan of it. I had to bite my tongue about the portal for a long time. Like most things I am usually off by a year or two. The portal and how FSU was using it was NEVER GOING TO BE SUSTAINABLE. FSU went into the portal and landed Jared Verse, Jemaine Johnson, Trey Benson. They went into the portal and landed ELITE players who ended up 1st round picks. For every one of those types of players you have what you got this year. I think FSU MN was ahead of the curve and nailed the portal...KUDOS....But like everything you MUST ADJUST....You can't stand pat and go well WE MISSED ON THAT HS KID...NO BIG DEAL, LETS HIT THE PORTAL. That mentality whether was said out loud or not is why FSU is in this mess....FSU did not recruit well the first 2-3 years under MN. I am not going to point fingers. I do think the portal helped him close that gap and for that he deserves credit. He deserves credit for 10 wins two years ago and 13 last year...BUT IT WAS NOT SUSTAINABLE. What is upsetting is that SMU just outportaled the PORTAL KINGS....Brashard Smith - SMU RUNNING BACK. Instead of taking Roydell Williams from Bama....The staff went away from what got them there...TAKE GUYS WHO WERE PRODUCTIVE. Smith was productive at Miami. He had yet to have that breakout season but he had a 100 yard kickoff return in a game last year. He is a versatile back that can run and catch. He has 70 carries this year for 509 yards and 7 touchdowns. 7.3 YARDS PER CARRY. He was on one of the best Miami Palmetto teams. His coach WENT TO FSU.....Yes his head coach graduated from FSU. You landed Poitier from there. Smith should be at FSU and not SMU.

Elijah Roberts in 2023 SMU defensive End - He had 37 tackles last year, 9.5 sacks, 2 FF....He had another season. Roberts went to Miami Coral Park HS before transferring to Columbus. He is my friends son. Kid would have loved to go to FSU. You think that 9.5 sacks as a starter is not better then Marvin Jones JR. Congrats he had two sacks against Cal....Roberts kicked the s--t out of you last year. FSU strategy changed in the portal. They went from looking for highly productive guys in the portal (Verse, Fiske, Keon Coleman, Kier Thomas) to guys who were high 4 and 5 star kids who did not make it at their other programs. THEY QUIT most of them. I think there needs to be a course correction on the PORTAL...I am not saying DONT HIT THE PORTAL...I am saying hit it but go after the RIGHT KIDS. Roberts and Smith were the right kids. Roydell Williams was not.

High School recruiting. REALITY HIT...and it HIT IN A BIG WAY. You got to go back to your roots. HS is where you are going to find those guys who you can develop.

COOL WORDS....DEVELOP, COACHING, CULTURE.....These are words to comfort fans. I am not saying they are not important but that stuff did not change in six months. What happened was you missed on a ton of kids which happens and you’re now stuck with a less talented roster then you had over the past 24 months. If I have one beef....I do believe that the strength and conditioning coach needs to go. I was never sold on built by storms. The only guys who were built differently were guys like Verse, Jermaine Johnson and Benson. Guys who came from other programs. FSU has the least impressive looking offensive lineman in the P4 Ranks. Brysen Estes came in and I thought the guy was a walk on. He has been at FSU for four years. COME ON.

What next part 2....This season is officially over? The body is dead...The horse has been kicked enough. What I want to see is a YOUTH MOVEMENT. You are building for 2025-2026. I don't have any hard feelings for DJ. I am sure he is a great kid but don’t feel sorry for him...800k and college football is a business this is the world we live in. I can't watch him throw passes out of bounds anymore. I can’t watch him throw behind receivers anymore. ENOUGH. I have no idea what Brock, the walk on QB or Luke can do...But I sure know what DJ brings and I am over the experiment.

#2 - Kyle Morlock - He needs to go in and have a Rudy moment, turn his jersey in and say coach MN, you need to play Landen Thomas. You recruit a kid from the D2 ranks and you get D2 results. I can find plenty of 6'5-6'6 kids in a basketball gym who look like a tight end, can act as one and do a better job. I would have benched him after the start of the season. You have to hold players accountable. Missing blocks and dropping balls is not doing so. Landen Thomas and Amare Williams PLEASE....You have Jackson West, Jarrelle Powers...What do these guys do?

SCHEME....I hear this all the time...SCHEME, SCHEME, SCHEME...OH MY - The coaches SCHEME DOES NOT WORK. REALLY....I have mentioned this before. These schools purchase a system called X'OS technology. This system schools like FSU start out paying them 250k per year. That is the starting point. The system allows coaches to break down film of say RHETT LASHLEE since he started coaching. FSU has every game or most of them he has ever coached. They know his checks on offense, they know his formations, they know where the gosh damn ball is going on every single play. MAYBE....just MAYBE they trick MN and his staff on one play...But the system will break down what each of these coaches does on every play. BASED on personal. It gives them the analytics of every single team, coach, player, water boy. It comes down to EXECUTION...EVERYONE ALWAYS LAUGHED AT JIMBO FOR SAYING IT IS A GAME OF INCHES...It really is. It comes down to players who you recruit doing what you tell them at an OPTIMAL standpoint. You have Kyle Morlock who has great intentions...he gets open...The coaches did their job but the SUBJECT can’t complete the mission. So the end result is the SCHEME sucks and BLAME THE COACHES. You have a TE who can catch, and the play looks good. Now can scheme matter on defense. Sure. I think there is more issues on that side of the ball...BUT even the scheme on defense comes down to YOUR MESSAGE AS A COACH. Does it resonate with the players? Can they carry out what they tell them? USC hired Anthony Lynn...USC players -same guys are much better...BUT THEY FLY TO THE FOOTBALL. The effort is different. It maybe the message.

QB- Kelly Jennings vs DJ - SMU QB is not that impressive but he does give you one thing that can overcome accuracy issues. It can help overcome timing issues....MOBILITY. Being able to pick up he hidden yardage to get you in winning situations. DJ in this game looked lost. The poor timing with receivers. The passes that don't hit receivers in stride. The inconsistent play from DJ is hard to watch. The only answer is to move on.

RB- Toafili - Love this kid and will always appreciate that he stayed through the Taggart to MN transition. I think he is a kid that has not gotten in trouble. He has been a pillar of FSU foundation and honestly he deserves better. He could have left and had a nice career elsewhere...Thank You Toafili for your time served. Kam Davis...He needs more carries...I also want to see Danzy. I do think Danzy gives FSU a spark plug.

WR-Just look at Miami...Same receivers as a year ago and they have a competent QB and now the same guys look good. SAME SCHEME by the way. I think Poitier like Toafili has come and played well when called upon. SMU receivers block and they have big plays.

TE-Landen Thomas- Great catch and TD. He made a play that number 84 has yet to make. Thomas and Williams need more playing time. I think both will give you more effort in the blocking game.

OL: Watching SMU offensive lineman get out in the open while FSU lumbers is quite depressing. FSU line did not block well but that is what happens when you take a kid from UTEP. REALLY UTEP. Should FSU recruit players from New Mexico State and New Mexico? Maybe just go to Temple and raided their roster after the season. I just don't know if I can take a kid off a terrible football team. If you do they better have stronger people around them. You have to pick winners...KIDS OFF WINNING TEAMS. Byers is not good. Keiondre Jones is not good. You are putting one hand behind your back with this team.

DL- the DL is so inconsistent...Last week they dominated. This week they made SMU offensive line look like the Detroirt Lions. I just don’t get it. These guys could not get off blocks this week. They never really reset the line of scrimmage. I do want Lyons and Farmer to be FSU two DT next year. Did Payton and MJJ play? They seemed to be ghosts this week.

LB- So I am watching Oregon late last night....I see a LB who is less athletic than Nichelson, who is nowhere as fast BUT....Because of how they use him and coach the kid up...he makes plays. I think if Nichelson played for Oregon last night he leads the team in tackles. I do think this is a kid who is going to be an All-Conference player next year but that is if changes come. Hit the weight room, get bigger and stronger and use him the right way. Omar Graham early in the game was getting turned around. Please....play a walk on.

S-Shyheim Brown had some issues off the field recently....says the internet. He took it out on SMU. He seemed to make some plays. He is someone that needs to come back next year. I think he could still be redeemable.


DB- Final Thoughts - I know most are upset...The sun will rise again. I think with the right changes, FSU can get back NEXT YEAR. It may seem like an impossible task but this year has been the perfect storm. Just got to strip this thing down and build it back up. The reality is the questions will be answered in just a few weeks. There will be changes to both the staff and roster...It will happen. It won't happen this week or next but at seasons end this thing will be evaluated and changes will be made. I am certain of that.

Around College football....

Curt Cignetti - Indiana is 5-0. Yes, INDIANA is 5-0 and I am not talking about the basketball team. First time it has happened since the 1960s. He is the real deal as a coach.

Lincoln Riley - Lol to those who thought he would struggle in the Big 10. Wisconsin an Iowa are not teams he will only score 20 on.

No great teams...Texas struggled against Mississippi State, Clemson took a while to dominate Stanford. Alabama got up 28-0 on Georgia....and almost lost. It is the one year that a second tier team could make a run in the playoffs.

As for the top 25....

1) Texas - 5-0- While they struggled, I think the win at Michigan and how they dominated was quite impressive. The Horns continue to be my top dog.

2) Ohio State - (4-0) Ohio State dominated Michigan State. This is a very talented team. The question is can they win a TOUGH GAME. Not sure they can beat Alabama, Georgia or Texas. I do think they have a more gifted roster then UGA and Alabama. That is why they are ranked here.

3-Tennessee-(4-0) I think this is the best Tennessee football team since Fulmer was there and won a title in 98. They have the QB. They have the defense. This is a team that is going to be able to put points up on anyone they face.

4-Alabama - (4-0) Bama jumped on UGA and were up 28-0 before the Dogs could do anything. Georgia came back and showed well. They should have won the game. Bama is still tough and Deboer is a very good coach. I still think Milroe will cost them and this team will still lose a couple games.

5-Oregon (4-0) Oregon is really good. I think Lanning has this group getting close. We will find out when Ohio State travels to Eugene.

6-Miami - (5-0) Miami Struggled but those are the types of games YOU MUST win. Miami has one of the best quarterbacks in college football. Their secondary did get exposed a little bit.

7-Penn State- (4-0) the Lions pulled away from Illinois late but this team still needs to show it in the big games. For now they have a very good defense. They also have a very good backfield.

8-Georgia (3-1) Poor Auburn they get Georgia next week. Down 28-0 and you question what is going on. Late in the game Georgia looked like the better team. I think these two could meet again and I would probably take Georgia.

9-Missouri (4-0) Missouri's first test comes next week against Texas A&M. They need to win that game. They are a sleeper team in the SEC this year.

10-Clemson (3-1) Clemson's only loss is Georgia. They will try and make a statement next week against FSU.

11-Michigan (4-1) Michigan like Clemson has a loss to a top ten team. They have a good defense. The offense is going to cost them down the road.

12-Notre Dame (4-1) they had a nice win vs. Louisville this week. Got behind 7-0 and came back with a TD on the next drive. ND had a brainfart against NIU. Will this cost them?

13-Ole Miss (4-1) I think the Lane-is-great train will slow down a little bit. His ole miss team finally played a real team and lost. Kiffin teams are always going to lose a game like this.

14-USC (3-1) The Trojans have shown the past two weeks that they can come from behind. Lincoln is one of the best coaches in the country and he is showing those chops this year.

15-Iowa State -(4-0) Coach Campbell to who....the rumors will start again this off-season.

The best of the rest...

16-LSU
17-BYU
18-UTAH
19-Kansas State
19-Oklahoma
20-Texas A&M
21-Arizona
22-Indiana
23-Liberty
24-UNLV
25-Louisville

On Monday's edition of the Osceola's Seminole Sidelines, we take a second look at FSU's loss to SMU and reflect on what Mike Norvell and the coordinators said.

What's next for FSU with DJ Uiagalelei's injury and how can Brock Glenn present a different look to the offense? The personnel around Glenn will look different, starting with the offensive line but also at tight end. And potential changes at receiver, too.

Thanks to Seminole Sidelines' sponsors: Alumni Hall, Mowrey Law Firm and Backshore Apparel.

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Mike Norvell is joined by Jeff Culhane at Bowden's in College Town.

Norvell: Clemson is as good as anyone in the conference and perhaps the nation. They’ve jumped out to big leads and taken control.

The Seminoles are excited for the challenge and to be at Doak for the matchup in the rivalry game.

That will get the running game going. They will have to defend the QB run. They will also not be able to blitz with abandon.

Do we think Clemson will do what Louisville did against us last year and stack the box and force Brock to beat them?

Hey guys, posting this for those who hadn't seen prior. We just put out some highlights from the Rivals Five-Star.

Happy for Buster. The best of the best (people and not just baseball players):

Buster Posey, the 2012 NL MVP and a seven-time All-Star catcher, helped usher in the most successful era in Giants history after he was drafted with the fifth overall pick in 2008. He retired following the Giants' remarkable 2021 season and joined the Giants' ownership group in September 2022. The Giants are hoping the 37-year-old will be able to lead a similar rise now that he’s poised to shift from the face of the franchise to the face of the front office.

“As we look ahead, I’m excited to share that Buster Posey will now take on a greater role as the new President of Baseball Operations,” Johnson said. “We are looking for someone who can define, direct and lead this franchise’s baseball philosophy and we feel that Buster is the perfect fit. Buster has the demeanor, intelligence and drive to do this job, and we are confident that he and Bob Melvin will work together to bring back winning baseball to San Francisco.”

FSU sports information:

Florida State senior outside hitter Audrey Koenig was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time in her career on Monday afternoon after her performance in two wins over No. 25 Miami. Koenig is the first Nole to win an ACC award this season.

The reigning ACC Co-Player of the Year showed up in last week's two rivalry matches against Miami as she led the team in kills in both matches. In Wednesday's five-set win, Koenig tallied a season-high 23 kills which was one short of her career high. Koenig hit .339 in Wednesday's match and also recorded 14 digs in the match. In Sunday's match, Koenig led the team with 13 kills in the Noles' sweep at Miami. Koenig was efficient once again as she hit .324 on 34 attempts.

In total, Koenig recorded 36 kills and averaged 4.50 kills per set. Koenig hit .333 over the course of the week and had just five hitting errors on 93 attempts. Koenig has recorded 10 or more kills in eight consecutive matches and leads the team with 147 kills.

The Seminoles will return to action on Friday when they play at Virginia. First serve is set for 7 p.m. on ACCNX.

Now updated with some Norvell quotes to offer context:

FSU sports information:

The Florida State softball team will compete in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, from Feb. 6-9. This will be the first time that FSU has ever played outside of the United States. All games will be streamed live on FloSports.

The Seminoles will be joined by 2024 Women's College World Series participant Oklahoma State, Louisiana Tech and Northern Colorado. The Seminoles will play five games while in Puerto Vallarta. The full schedule will be announced at a later date.

This is the ninth edition of the event and will again be held over two sessions along the sunny and inviting Pacific coast of Mexico. Games are played at Nancy Almaraz Stadium.

The Puerto Vallarta College Challenge began in 2015 and has evolved into one of the premier tournaments designed to begin the softball season. It was the first-ever D-I softball event held outside the United States and has included programs from well-known "Power" conferences as well as the deep pool of strong mid-major schools — the Mexican Olympic team also played in the tournament in 2020.

this weekend. Daniel Pierre Louis has others very interested, but the Noles get the first OV.

We saw him in person on Friday and have more on his game and recruitment, plus video, here:

Is Morlock the best tight end we have?

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Louis is excited to get up to Tallahassee for the first time since he pledged to the garnet and gold two weekends ago. He said committed life is treating him well, though other programs are trying to maintain communication with him since he made the public pledge.

"You know where I'm going this week!" Louis told Rivals. "I just want my team to win."

Florida State coach Mike Norvell and coordinators Alex Atkins, Adam Fuller and John Papuchis discuss the loss to SMU and reflect on the week ahead as the Seminoles prepare for Clemson.

We'll have updates below in the thread

Transfer offensive lineman Richie Leonard IV will miss the rest of the 2024 season, Mike Norvell announced Monday.

if Norvell struggles next year would u take jimbo back ??

So bad

Should be our head coach