The Seminoles QB commit for the 2025 cycle was back on campus this weekend and was donning a recruiting hat. He spent a lot of time talking with Cocoa (Fla.) WR Jayvan Boggs and Jacksonville (Fla.) Riverside TE Tae'Shaun Gelsey, both of whom were officially visiting this weekend.

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Story Link: Tramell Jones Jr. still recruiting hard for Florida State

While still focused on this year's team, Mike Norvell is sectioning off time each week to focus on the search for the next members of his FSU coaching staff.

He's hopeful some people may be able to assume their new positions shortly after the season ends

FSU sports information:

Florida State volleyball seniors Khori Louis and Taylor Head will continue to be teammates at the professional level as both were drafted by the Atlanta Vibe in the Pro Volleyball Federation Draft on Monday afternoon. Louis was picked sixth overall and was the first middle blocker off the board and the second ACC player off the board. Head was selected with the fifth pick in the third round and the 21st pick overall.

Louis has emerged as one of the nation's top middle blockers the past two seasons for the Seminoles. The Tallahassee native was a First Team All-ACC performer in 2023 and ranked third in the entire country with a .432 hitting percentage and has picked up right where she left off in 2024. So far, Louis is second on the team with 299 kills and a .417 hitting percentage which is second in the ACC and 13th in the entire country. Louis's 299 kills are the most she has ever had in a season. Louis recorded her 1,000th career kill on November 8 against Wake Forest to become the second middle blocker and the eighth overall player to record 1,000 career kills in the rally scoring era. Louis also leads the team with 120 blocks and 1.14 blocks per set.

Head has been a great addition to the FSU volleyball team in her one year with the Seminoles after four seasons at Arkansas. A two-time AVCA All-American, Head currently leads the team with 301 digs while adding 275 kills which ranks third on the team. Head has recorded 10 double doubles this season, eight which have come during ACC play. Head has recorded 11 double digit kill matches in her last 14 matches.

The Atlanta Vibe's season begins on January 10 against the Omaha Supernovas in Omaha, Neb. The Vibe play its home matches in Gas South Arena in Atlanta. The PVF announced on Nov. 20 a multi-year extension with CBS Sports where 20 matches will be televised on CBS Sports including one match on the CBS Television Network. PVF is in its second year of existence and consists of eight teams.

FSU sports information:

The No. 24 Florida State women’s cross country team will be competing at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships after receiving an at-large bid on Saturday evening.

The championship race will take place on Saturday, November 23 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship course in Madison, Wisconsin. The women’s 6k race will begin at 10:20 a.m.

The 24th-ranked women’s team is coming off an impressive performance at the NCAA South Region Championships on November 15, where the Noles captured four All-Region honors and a third-place overall team finish.

"These women were counted out the entire season," FSU coach Cody Halsey said. "It fueled their fire every day, every training session, every long run and every weekend. I can’t express how incredibly proud I am of their constant hard work, dedication and trust in each other and the process. We are very excited for one more race to cap off an incredible season.”

On Tuesday's edition of the Osceola's Seminole Sidelines, Patrick Burnham, Mark Salva, Jerry Kutz, Charles Fishbein and Curt Weiler reflect on what Mike Norvell said in his Monday press conference, thoughts on what he is looking for in a coordinator hire and more.

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Watch the Colorado game today… could be one of our targets for OC.

From hiring an offensive coordinator who would bring their own offense and call plays to hiring coaches he's less familiar with if they are the right fit, Mike Norvell says everything is on the table as he begins the critical process of hiring his next two FSU coordinators.

FSU sports information:

The Florida State women’s basketball team (2-1) defeated Florida A&M (0-3) on Monday night at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, 93-54.

“I’m really proud of this win today,” FSU head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “This was a fun, extra special game against our friends across town, Florida A&M. We have a lot of respect for their program, and they came out and played a great basketball game today and they played hard for 40 minutes. I was proud of our team for how they came out and were aggressive and disciplined and executed our game plan. I loved how we got to the free throw line and how we rebounded. Lots of things were great and we have a lot of work to do as well.”

Ta’Niya Latson led all scorers for the third time this season in as many games, contributing 21 points, including 15 from the free throw line. Latson tied her career high in free throws made, tying her program record she shares with Carla Williams and Cierra Brevard.

O’Mariah Gordon added season-high 19 points and a career high six steals.

Five Seminoles scored in double figures for the second time this season. In addition to Latson and Gordon, Carla Viegas shot 4-of-7 from the three-point line, scoring 12 points.

Sydney Bowles and Malea Williams each contributed 10 points.

Makayla Timpson led all rebounders with nine and swatted four blocks.

The Seminoles took an early lead in the first period, going on a 9-0 run to start, stretching the lead 25-12.

In the second, FSU outscored Florida A&M 24-10, holding the Rattlers to shooting 23 percent in the quarter, taking the 49-22 lead at the half.

After scoring 26 points in the third, FSU added 18 in the fourth, winning the game 93-54.

The Seminoles will celebrate Seminoles Heritage against Samford on Thursday at 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

Given the results of this season, it's quite possible Mike Norvell goes in a very different direction from his past offensive coordinator hires. But if Norvell does make a similar hire, what does his track record of OCs tell us he might be looking for?

I looked into the trends of his history of OCs.

FSU sports information:

Coach Chris Poole and the Florida State volleyball program signed four very talented athletes on Wednesday. The Noles signed Victoria David, Nenu Kpea, Ava Lambert and Ryan Murphy. All four athletes will be enrolling to Florida State in the spring of 2025.

Victoria David | Outside Hitter | 6-1 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Colégio Anglo Americano

David will come to Florida State as a very talented outside hitter who will bring international experience to Tallahassee. David had great success as a young player as she was a two-time South American Club Champion, a two-time Brazilian Superliga Club Champion, and two-time World Club Champion over the course of the last two years. David was named the best athlete in youth volleyball for the Minas Tênis Clube in 2023 and was the most improved player for the club in 2022. David has also been a huge advocate for the sport of volleyball. David represented over 150 female volleyball players to improve resources for the club as well as addressing current concerns with the club. Off the court, David has been very successful in the classroom as she was a top 10 student in her class throughout high school. David is the daughter of José and Cristina David. Victoria will become the first collegiate athlete of her family tree.

Coach Chris Poole: "Victoria has been playing and training at a high level in Brazil. She is a very dedicated volleyball player and well skilled as a full rotation player. Her experience will allow her to be successful in our gym and within the ACC."

Nenu Kpea | Middle Blocker | 6-2 | Melissa, Texas | Melissa High School

Kpea will come to Florida State from the state of Texas and hopes to be the next great Seminole middle blocker. The 6-2 star from Melissa, Texas was named the 2024 District 13 Blocker of the Year at the 5A level. Kpea was also named the Offensive Player of the Year at Melissa High School and earned all-tournament team status at the 2024 Glen Rose Tournament and the Sawyer Camilla Memorial Tournament. Kpea competed in basketball and was also a high jumper and ran the 200m dash in high school. Kpea is the daughter of Dornu Kpea and has three sisters, Duura, Ledisi and Nornu. Ledisi currently plays volleyball at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Coach Chris Poole: "Nenu is one of the best athletes in the country for the 2025 class. She possesses great athleticism and jump and has potential to play at the highest level. We have had extremely athletic middles at Florida State, and we see this within Nenu. We expect Nenu to contribute early in her career."

Ava Lambert | Libero | 5-9 | Scottsdale, Arizona | Horizon High School

Lambert will come in and add a great defensive presence for the Seminoles. Lambert was rated a top 25 player by PrepVolleyball.com. She is a two-time 5A State Champion and was named the 2023 5A Region Defensive Player of the Year. She earned first team all-region honors as well as second team all-conference honors in 2023. Lambert has recorded over 1,000 digs for Horizon High School and has also recorded over 140 aces in her high school career. Ava is the daughter of Mike and Kim Lambert and has an older sister Lexi who is a setter at Biola University.

Coach Chris Poole: "Ava caught our eye this summer at the National Championship tournament and has played at a high level both in high school and club in Arizona. She is a taller libero and has great range and speed in getting to the ball."

Ryan Murphy | Setter | 6-1 | Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida | Ponte Vedra High School

Murphy is staying in the Sunshine State and is one of the top players and setters in the state. Murphy is ranked the No. 4 player in the state of Florida and has recorded over 1,700 assists in three seasons with Ponte Vedra High School. As a 6-1 setter, Murphy has recorded 63 blocks in 181 sets. Murphy has also been great behind the service line recording 35 aces in 66 sets so far this season. Murphy was also an AAU National Champion and was named the MVP and was also selected for the National Team Development Program in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2023. In the classroom, Murphy is an honor roll student and a member of the National Honors Society. She plans on majoring in business at Florida State.

Coach Chris Poole: "Ryan has excellent height for a setter, and we are excited to get one of the top setters in the state of Florida working with our hitters. She is capable of running a good tempo offense and works hard to put her hitters in a great position to attack."

FSU 72 Tarleton State 52 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


The Good

With the win, FSU moves to 3-0 on the season. The last time the 'Noles started a season` 3-0 was in 2020. It also improves the Seminoles' record against the Texans to 1-0. Yes, it was the first meeting between the two teams. In fact, it was the first meeting in any sport. A tale of two different halves, the first period saw the 'Noles play a very sloppy game filled with turnovers and holding only a five point lead (33-28) at intermission against a very outmanned Tarleton squad. The Texans were down four players due to injuries and only had ten available. The second period, the defense really took over pressuring the ball more and completely stymied Tarleton's offense.

Scoring by committee. No Seminoles finished in double figures. But 14 players made it onto the floor, 13 scored.

The much improved effort in the second half in particular on defense. By the time half of the period had expired, FSU outscored the Texans, 21-7. From the 13:38 mark to the 4:26 left on the clock, Tarleton did not score a single FG.

The half time coaches' speech in the locker room. While Bostyn Holt did not offer any direct quotes, he made it clear the staff was not pleased with the team's performance over the first twenty minutes. As Holt said, a single digit lead against Tarleton was simply "unacceptable" especially when you clearly have the better talent.

The 2nd unit who outplayed the starters. They were more active defensively (not that the starter's defense was bad) and had more highlight reel plays.

Just have to mention separately the play of Malique Ewin. Yes, he fouls too much so far. But I like his athleticism, how he runs the floor, and his footwork around the rim.

Plays of the game: Chandler Jackson's wide open three from above the key with the assist to Holt. The behind the back pass to Taylor Bol Bowen. It was a nice play but an even better block by Chris Mpaka. Jerry Deng's uncontested lay up with the assist to Justin Thomas, 28-23. Followed by Thomas blowing through the defense for the lay up, 30-23. Ewin's drive to the rim along the baseline and the nice spin move cutting between two defenders for the lay up, 39-28. Freshman Amier Maluk showing his knowledge of the fundamentals by not bringing the ball down on an offensive rebound but instead keeping it high allowing him to make the lay up over the defender on him, 43-31. The 4 on 1 fast break, REALLY fast break, started by Maluk's steal who then was rewarded with the lob pass from Deng, 49-33. Christian Nitu's blocked shot starting the break and the bullet pass from DaQuan Davis to Bol Bowen for the slam, 62-38. Have to mention the Texan's Izzy Miles picking up his 4th foul with 4:15 left in the first half, staying in the game the rest of the period, starts the second and promptly fouls out just eleven seconds into the half. You don't see that very often. If at all.


The Bad

Jamir Watkins with a so-so game at best. He had four total turnovers with two in the first 4 minutes of the game. He finished with 8 points and was 1-5 from the floor. To say he drew a lot of attention every time he touched the ball would be an understatement.

Fouling. FSU is doing way too much of it (20-28 tonight). That is of course being offset by the Seminoles forcing contact and drawing a lot of fouls (24-38).

In his post game show, Leonard Hamilton called it moments. The team will have moments when play on the floor is clicking. And then there are those moments when it anything but. Obviously the goal will be too decrease those moments when things are screwy.

Hamilton also mentioned ball movement. As he said, guys were trying to make the play before the pass. Just not in sync pressing and forcing too much on offense especially in the first half.


The Ugly

I am not sure I have mentioned this before, but 3 point shooting. OMG!!!! 4-21 (a new low for the season at just 19%) including just 1-11 in the second half. That issue is certainly noticed by Hamilton who commented that it is a mystery to him why FSU shoots so poorly in games.

Turnovers .... 16 of them. Thankfully Tarleton was very inept in scoring points off the miscues. Many were from good defensive plays by Tarleton. FSU however just could not seem to avoid working themselves into situations that led to the turnover. A reflection of the lack of ball movement.

Jackson air mailing the ball to the bench. Obvious miscommunication there as his teammate was cutting to the rim as Jackson launched the pass.

So the DLTCC has a new floor. And with the weather as it is currently, it is a slippery floor. Hope they solve that issue quickly.


Up Next

That team that wears that God awful color combination of eye blinding bright orange and nauseating neon blue comes to Tallahassee on Friday for a 6 PM (yes, 6 PM) tip off. The game will be aired on the ACCN. The 20th ranked gatros (their ...) aka crocs of XXVI are 3-0 and easily handled all three opponents.