FSU coaches announce MVPs, most improved, scout-team stars and more:

Some not-so-great news on the recruiting front for FSU just came in from Rivals recruiting director Adam Gorney.

He says 5-star defensive end Armondo Blount will be visiting Miami instead of his expected official visit at FSU this weekend.

Of course I'm not saying anything we don't already know, but it's worth discussing.

FSU beats UGA, no matter the score 1 point, 50 points: UGA is not the same team that just beat Bama, with the players they have sitting out, this game is really meaningless (no matter who is sitting out for FSU).

FSU loses: The committee got it right, this FSU team just was not the same without JT and, since they could not beat UGA, they would not have been competitive in the CFI. No mention of players sitting out for either team, just JT's injury.

Will anybody be surprised?

After being committed to FSU for nearly three years, 4-star running back Kameron Davis made one final visit to the Seminoles over the weekend, where he put on his recruiter hat, before signing Wednesday.

Jafari Harvey, Miami DE,
Would Florida State be interested?

Obviously when the conversation is Florida State versus Alabama, you've got a team that's played multiple top-15 opponents. You mentioned, of course, the injury to Jordan Travis. Did you feel like FloridaState was given enough of an opportunity to kind of earn its way back after that injury, or was that something that once that happened and they had sort of a poor offensive performance, it was over?

BOO CORRIGAN: No, not at all. I think what we were looking at, and again, like the previous question (about SMU quarterback injury), and I don't know if you heard it or not, it doesn't happen just in isolation. It happens, as well, when other teams around them are doing.

But in the eyes of the committee, Florida State is a different team without Jordan Travis. One of the things we do consider is player availability, and our job is to rank the best teams, and in the final decision looking at that, it wasAlabama at 4 and Florida State at 5.

Do you worry that by setting a precedent that once a player goes out that you're kind of incentivizing teams to mislead or hide information that might hurt them in the committee's eyes?
CORRIGAN: That's not a topic that ever came up. So no.

What do you say to people that say you rewarded Liberty for going undefeated despite the strength of schedule that you mentioned and did the opposite for someone like Florida State?

CORRIGAN: Well, again, everything is -- we don't look at it as compare one to another, between No. 5 and No. 23. Not to take away from what Liberty did this year and the job that they played. They can only play the people that are on their schedule. They were dominant on the field, as I said before. They were 5-0 against teams above .500.

Again, Florida State, great year. Really hard for everyone down there, but the injury to Jordan Travis is something that in the eyes of the committee changed them as a team. Rodemaker and Brock Glenn came in, but they're a different team with Jordan Travis on the field.

Florida State and Alabama had a common opponent in LSU. Florida State won by 21 on a neutral field and Bama won by 14 at home. How much of a discussion point was that in the room?

CORRIGAN: It was part of the discussion, as everything was, as we looked at the entirety of the season, all 13 weeks, to make sure that there wasn't anything that we didn't talk about is what I would share. We talked about everything that we could -- from every person on the committee to making sure that we were weighing everything.

How much of a factor was strength of schedule? It seems like you've talked so far about Bama over Florida State a lot, but how much was strength ofschedule an issue?

CORRIGAN: It's a factor. It's a factor, and it's part of our protocol, as we look at it. Again, Alabama's strength of schedule was significantly higher than Florida State's, but again, it's two really good teams. You can only play the teams in front of you, etcetera, but at the end of it, just the difference in their offense, and defense is wonderful, the special teams, the job that Coach Norvell has done this year is very admirable, but everyone has got great respect for the job that he's done. But we ended up with Alabama at 4 and Florida State at 5.

Last week or actually less than a week ago, you guys put Florida State in the top 4 while saying their offense was different without Jordan Travis. With a quarterback who you know would be available for the College Football Playoff. What was different in a game that they ultimately beat a top-15 opponent and as you mentioned the defense was dominant? Essentially what changed from Tuesday to Saturday with what was different without Jordan Travis that made you cautious about it?

BOO CORRIGAN: Well, I mean, there's other teams that played, and Texas playing, Alabama playing, Alabama beating Georgia. Again, it would be great if it was just in isolation as we did this, but it is in combination as we're looking at it.

The fact that Rodemaker was not there, we did have limited access visual on the job that he did, but again, looking at the top four, we had to decide if Florida State was better than Michigan, Washington, Texas or Alabama, and in the eyes of the committee, Florida State was fifth.

What was your response to -- there's just a lot of statements made but one from Mike Norvell saying that he wondered why play the games if they win all their games and do everything that they've been asked and are left out. What's your response to that claim?

CORRIGAN: It's a unique year. To have the conference champions that we had, to have the undefeated teams going into it, eight teams vying for an opportunity to be there, injuries do happen, and regardless of what we do, someone is going to be disappointed in what we do.

But the committee's job and the 13 people in the room is to come up with what they believe are the best four teams.

Johnny Wilson already declared, and pretty confident Keon and Verse will follow since they have first round grades.

But what about Benson, Bell, Jackson, etc.

Could we get an NIL package together to give any of them second thoughts?

If we lock down DJ U and MJJ this weekend that would only improve our chances because we would be primed to make another run next year.

Fabien Lovett declares for the NFL draft in a post on social media, one that suggests he is also opting out of the Orange Bowl

FSU tight end Jaheim Bell is entering the NFL Draft, but he doesn't state if he's playing in the Orange Bowl:

FSU's top two transfer QB targets are now clear. The Seminoles will be hosting Cam Ward and DJ Uiagalelei over the next few days.

Before their visits, I examined their games and compared their 2023 seasons to see how they could fit in Mike Norvell's offense.

Hopefully it will not matter, but is there a timeframe when the ACC football schedule will be released? With dates?

FSU sports information:

The No. 22 Florida State women’s basketball team led with its defense on Sunday afternoon, holding Drexel to just seven points in a second quarter that sparked the Seminoles to a 76-56 win at Drexel’s Athletic Center.

Sophomore Ta’Niya Latson led the Seminoles (8-3) with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting and went 7-of-9 from the free throw line, her second-most attempts of the season. FSU did not rely on the 3, instead churning out 46 points in the paint — in stark contrast to Drexel’s 17 3-point field goal attempts.

Latson heated up in the third, scoring nine of her 22 points in the quarter as FSU came out hot after halftime and out-scored the Dragons (4-4), 21-16, in the third frame.

Florida State had four players in double figures, as junior guard O’Mariah Gordon totaled 14 points along with seven assists to just one turnover in 29 minutes played. Fifth-year senior Sara Bejedi had 11 points and three assists, and junior forward Makayala Timpson added 10 points with six rebounds.

Off the bench, sophomore Brianna Turnage aided the Seminoles with nine boards, while junior forward Sakyia White had six points and five rebounds.

Florida State went 15 of 18 from the free throw line, while Drexel went 9-of-9. FSU generated 19 fast-break points and only had seven turnovers to 15 assists.

FSU allowed just seven points in the second quarter, its best defensive quarter of the season. It also marked the fourth time this year that the Seminoles allowed single-digit points in a quarter.

Drexel’s Brooke Mullin led the Dragons with 11 points.

The Seminoles return home for a game against Alabama State right before their holiday break on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

With the early signing period three days away, Florida State is closing out its final weekend of official visits Sunday morning.

The Seminoles hosted five commits (5-star DB KJ Bolden, 4-star RB Kam Davis, 4-star DB Jamari Howard, 4-star wide receiver Lawayne McCoy and 3-star OL Manasse Itete) as well as a surprise late addition in 4-star defensive end Amaree Williams, who announced Thursday he is reclassifying from 2025 to 2024 and officially visiting FSU this weekend.

Additionally, FSU has hosted a pair of transfer targets this weekend in Oregon State QB transfer DJ Uiagalelei and Georgia defensive end transfer/FSU legacy Marvin Jones Jr.

We'll be stationed at FSU hoping to interview these prospects coming out of these visits and we'll share any updates here.

Dropping. I bought nose bleed endzones 9 days ago for $105 now inside the 20s are selling for 90. Buy them up let’s fill the place.

FSU sports information:

The 22nd-ranked Florida State Women’s Basketball team (7-3) visits the City of Brotherly Love for the first time since 2014 when they battle Drexel (4-3) on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

The game can be live streamed for free on FloHoops’ various social platforms, including their YouTube page, X account and Facebook account.

Florida State last played in Philadelphia on Dec. 14, 2014, when it defeated Temple, 66-62, in what was current head coach Brooke Wyckoff’s fourth season as an assistant coach at FSU.

Drexel was recently added to Philadelphia’s famous Big 5 schools, which also includes Villanova, Temple, LaSalle, Penn and St. Joseph’s. The Seminoles are a combined 6-1 against those schools, only playing Temple (5-1) and St. Joseph’s (1-0).

Sunday’s game between Florida State and Drexel will be the first head-to-head meeting by the two programs in any sport since FSU softball won a doubleheader against the Dragons on March 23, 1992.

Sophomore Ta’Niya Latson has proven once again to be lethal against ranked competition this season. In FSU’s three ranked matchups this season vs. No. 11 Tennessee, No. 4 Stanford and No. 2 UCLA, Latson is averaging 23.0 points, shooting 44.9 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from 3-point range and averaging 2.7 steals per game.

The Seminoles are averaging nearly 17 points per game (16.8) in scoring off turnovers this season.

Junior forward Makayla Timpson already owns five double-doubles this season. She recorded 13 last season, tied for the second most in a season in program history and behind only WNBA All-Star Natasha Howard’s 15 double-doubles in the 2013-14 year.

Despite being a high-possession team that plays with pace, FSU ranks 14th nationally with just 12.0 turnovers per game and 43rd in the country in assist/turnover ratio at 1.18.

FSU ranks second in the ACC and 21st in the country averaging 83.9 points per game.

The Seminoles return home for a game against Alabama State right before their holiday break on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 6 p.m.

We need to have our media relations team spinning this narrative immediately.

Coming out of his official visit to FSU, transfer QB target DJ Uiagalelei had very complimentary things to say about the FSU staff, the Seminoles' offense and how he sees himself as a fit running it.

"All the questions I had, they answered them.”

The Florida State men's basketball team returns to action Saturday evening. The Seminoles (4-4, 0-1) will look to snap their three-game losing streak when they host future ACC opponent SMU (6-4) at the Tucker Civic Center Saturday at 8 p.m. (ACC Network).

The Seminoles could be getting a major boost ahead of Saturday's game against the Mustangs as the NCAA went back on its transfer ruling earlier this week, allowing all second-time transfers in winter/spring sports to be immediately eligible without the need for a waiver. This should mean that Georgetown point guard transfer Primo Spears will be eligible after missing the first eight games of the season as a two-time transfer. Spears averaged 16.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game last season with the Hoyas. FSU hasn't yet clarified that Spears will begin playing, but it will be something to monitor during pregame warmups Saturday night.

We'll also be sharing live in-game updates in this thread once the game gets underway.

Here are some more pregame notes courtesy of FSU sports information:

SEMINOLES BEGIN SEVEN-GAME HOMESTAND AGAINST SMU
Florida State begins a seven-game homestand as it plays host to future ACC member SMU on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles’ game against SMU is just its fourth home game of the season and first since November 29. Florida State’s game against the Mustangs comes as the final examination period for its players has concluded. The Seminoles are 2-1 at home this season with wins over both Kennesaw State (November 10, 94-67) and Central Michigan (November 13, 94-67). Since their two victories to open the season, the Seminoles have won the championship of the Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Fla., with a victory over No. 18 Colorado, played in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge and opened ACC play. Florida State’s game against SMU begins a seven game stretch of home games which includes SMU, North Florida (December 19), Winthrop (December 22), Lipscomb (December 30), Georgia Tech (January 3), Virginia Tech (January 6) and Wake Forest (January 9). The Seminoles' next road game comes at Notre Dame on January 13.

NOTING FLORIDA STATE’S SEVEN GAME HOMESTAND
Florida State plays host to SMU on December 16, 2023 in its first of seven consecutive home games – it’s longest stretch of connective home games since beginning the 2020-21 season with home games against North Florida (W, 86-58, December 2), Indiana (W, 69-67, OT, December 9), Florida (W, 83-71, December 12), Georgia Tech (W, 74-61, December 15), Central Florida (L, 86-74), and Gardner Webb (W, 72-59, December 21). The Seminoles opened the 2003-24 season with seven consecutive home games – and seven consecutive victories over Maine (W, 69-49, November 21), Georgetown College (W, 81-67, November 24), Nichols State (W, 99-54, November 26), South Carolina State (W, 81-46, November 28), Northwestern (W, 71-53, December 1), Ole Miss (W, 66-60, December 3) and Fairleigh Dickinson (W, 83-46, December 6). The Seminoles also played seven consecutive home games to at the start the 1953-54 season (6-1). Florida State opened the 2002-03 season as it played a school-record eight consecutive home games (6-2 overall record).

APROPOS TIME TO SPEAK OF FLORIDA STATE'S ACADEMIC ACOMPLISHMENTS UNDER LEONARD HAMILTON
With the academic exam period having just concluded for the Fall 2023 semester at Florida State, it’s apropos to speak of the Seminoles’ academic achievements under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton. During Hamilton’s tenure as a head coach at Florida State, Miami, and Oklahoma State dating back to 1988, more than 97 percent of his four-year players have earned their degrees. In 2023, a program record 10 players were named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll. In the last seven years, at least seven players have been named to the ACC Honor Roll with a total of 13 players being named to the All-ACC Academic Men’s Basketball team during that period of time.
LOOK FOR FLORIDA STATE TO...
..Defeat SMU and gain at a second consecutive win over the Mustangs. The Seminoles defeated SMU 59-52 u in the Championship Game of the Colonial Classic on November 14, 2006 at the Donald L. Tucker Center;
...Defeat SMU and win its third home game of the season. The Seminoles have played three home games and have earned victories over Kennesaw State and Central Michigan;
...Defeat SMU and raise its record to 98-63 against the current 15 members of the American Athletic Conference. The Seminoles have played 13 of the current 15 members of the conference and hold a winning record against 11 of the 13 league members they have played (UAB, 4-0, 2018), (Charlotte, 4-2, 2013), (East Carolina, 1-0, 1968), (Florida Atlantic, 5-0, 2015), (Memphis, 22-31, 1991), (Navy, 1-0, 1977), (North Texas, never met), (Rice, 5-2, 1997), (USF, 22-13, 2023), (SMU, 1-0, 2006), (Temple, 1-3, 2016), (Texas San Antonio, never met), (Tulane, 26-12, 2021),
(Tulsa4-0, 2012), (Wichita State, 1-0, 2004).

FSU 57 SMU 68 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


The Good

I will make this brief. Because after this loss I am guessing not a lot of people want to read a lengthy diatribe on the travails of a team that is really struggling.

I did not get to see the game and could only follow along while playing the job via the game tracker feed and the box score. That was probably a good thing given how the team had difficulty scoring. I am not sure if I will get a chance to watch my recording of it. But if I do, I'll add to this list of observations.

Primo Spears finally played!!! 25 minutes on the floor. Took that fricking NCAA long enough to clear him. He scored 10 points tying Darin Green for the only two Seminoles in double digits.

Jalen Warley played just 15 minutes. Given his inability to score consistently that is probably a good thing no matter how well he distributes the ball. His lack of scoring just allows a defense to play off him and crowd other FSU scorers i.e. Darin. In this game, Warley contributed just two FTs and had no assists.

Hey!!! FT shooting was very good, 15-19 (79%).


The Bad

The 'Noles record now falls to 4-5 and is on a four game losing streak. Without Cam'Ron Fletcher and Cameron Corhen, the team's direction has taken a big downward turn.

Out rebounded again. By a wide margin 43-33. When comparing the two team's starters, SMU's starters demolished FSU's starters when it came to going after the ball, 29-13. Either there were a lot of lucky bounces of the ball or their players made going to the boards a priority. The Mustangs even had a reserve player pull down 10 rebounds. After Justin Gainey's 6 rebounds, no one of FSU's roster had more than four. And when you go 19-61 from the floor, there were obviously a lot of rebounds to be had.

The final score. It wasn't that close as FSU scored seven points in the last 90 seconds while SMU managed one last FT.


The Ugly

Those of you who saw the game know exactly what the ugliest aspect to this game was. Shooting or the lack thereof. The first half was as ugly as you will ever see. 22% from the floor and 8%, yes, 8% (1-13) from the three point line. Oh, it got a bit better in the second half but not enough to overtake the Mustangs. The Seminoles finished 31% from the floor and 18% from the arc (4-22).

Primo played. But his shooting? OMG!!!! 2 for 13. I hope that is rust. Darin Green was not much better going 4 for 11.

Those 57 points ..... that is the lowest output by the Seminole offense so far this season. The word I heard last week to describe the Mustang defense was "stingy" And they certainly lived up to that reputation.

The Mustangs FT shooting. It is not often you see a team connect on just 43% of their freebies. Shoot a decent percentage and this game was a total blowout.


Up Next

Dec 19th, Tuesday the Seminoles host North Florida at 8:00 PM and aired on the ACCN. The Ospreys (7-5 overall, 1-3 road) are on a three game winning streak. However, the two power five teams North Florida played (LSU, Iowa) were both losses. I just can't see FSU losing this game. The team would be in a real tailspin should they lose.

We know who he is as we have played against him, and he was a very capable OT, especially against our DL last year. Has one more year of eligibility, but probably going back to fu? Not sure if we or he would even entertain an offer, but if he goes back to fu, their OL will be improved. I guess he got passed over at LT then RT at USC this year, otherwise unsure of why he would go to fu with what their upcoming year will look like.

Any likelihood of interest from FSU?

FSU got a boost to its depth Saturday night with Primo Spears newly eligible, but even that couldn't stop the Seminoles' losing streak as they lost 68-57 to SMU to fall to 4-5 on the season after their fourth straight loss.

A look at the 11 uncommitted prospects in the Rivals250 ahead of signing day:

Amaree Williams was all smiles after his Florida State official visit, just days after announcing he was reclassifying to 2024.

"Amazing visit," Williams said. "Was finally able to get around some of the guys, some of the would-be teammates, possible teammates. Being able to experience that, I loved the visit."

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GO NOLES!!!