It’s a brand new season for the Florida State Seminoles and frankly, thank God. Speaking at today’s ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, coach Mike Norvell confirmed FSU is leaving the 2021 season in the past. The goal now is to keep working, keep improving, and get back to winning games. For a program with some of the brightest talent in the nation, the transition from losing to winning should be a natural one.
The Past Can Hurt
“But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.”
-Rafiki, The Lion King
-Mike Norvell, probably
Echoing Coach Norvell, quarterback Jordan Travis addressed the crowd in Charlotte saying, “I don’t really think much of last year, it’s in the past.” That’s admirable, but a little refresh is great fuel to the fanbase fire. Let’s get into it.
During the Jimbo Fisher era, Florida State was on top of the world. Though not without problems on and off the field, the program was a winning one for several years. Ultimately, though, a long-term relationship was not in the cards and Fisher left FSU for Texas A&M in December 2017.
Enter: Willie Taggart. After one year in the head coaching position for Oregon, Taggart accepted the offer to take over at FSU. Taggart’s debut season was plagued by many of the same issues Fisher encountered. The 2018 season yielded a disappointing 5-7 overall finish and no Bowl appearance for the Noles. 2019 began as badly as 2018 had ended, and after just 21 games the Willie Taggart era came to a close.
So, in December of 2019 Mike Norvell arrived in Tallahassee. The third head coach in four years, he lost several players almost immediately and confirmed that the locker room was in a fragile state. In 2020, Norvell’s inaugural (and abbreviated) season, the Noles went 3-6 overall and 2-6 in the ACC. Norvell’s Noles finished the 2021 season with a 5-7 overall record, going 4-4 in the ACC.
In recent years, the Noles have been outplayed, out coached, and out recruited. But ever the optimists, this team is ready to learn from the past and reclaim the national title (or a conference title, a winning record, or less meme-able play strategies) in 2022.
New Year, New Noles
Like every New Year’s Resolution you’ve never stuck with, Noles players and coaches are coming into the 2022 season with a, “new year, new me” attitude. They’re ready to use some of that all-star talent for a comeback as gratifying as not getting fired after your third season on the job (presumably). They are determined not to get hurt again.
The gods of returning production, recruiting, and recent history have not been kind to FSU as of late, but the times they are a-changin’. The transfer portal, positive changes to the offensive line, noticeable defensive improvements, and finally using Jordan Travis in the QB1 spot are key elements to FSU’s newfound strategy for success.
The Seminoles have made big changes to the roster of players on both sides of the ball. The administration has (finally) opened its checkbook to bring in much needed support staff. If you’re competing to be a college football powerhouse, this is what self-care looks like.
He’s Got the Sauce
Jordan Travis is a game changer. Obviously, to anyone not named Mike Novell, he is also a game maker.
In games Travis has started, FSU is 7-6; when he doesn’t start, the Noles are 1-7. Considering the subpar state of the offensive line, Travis’ athleticism provides a necessary balance and compensates for the line’s many deficiencies. Were Travis not in the mix, FSU’s current win-loss ratio would be considerably worse than it already is.
“Just because FSU is atrocious without Travis doesn’t mean he’s a good quarterback.” Yeah, yeah, yeah. There is truth to this, but it isn’t absolute. Evaluating a quarterback without evaluating the supporting players leads to flawed arguments. The basic fact is, lackluster though they have been, FSU’s offense is solid with Jordan at QB. This is evidenced in yardage, because with Travis FSU averaged 6.24 yards per play last season; without him, they only averaged 5.08 yards per play. These numbers would rank them at 40th nationally and 109th nationally, respectively.
Because it needs to be said: Jordan Travis absolutely can attack the middle of the field. In 2021, Travis had a passer rating of 216.1 when targeting players 11-20 yards downfield. This is second nationally and first among all Power Five players. His 70.6 completion percentage when targeting players at this same range was also second nationally. His yard-per-attempt average of 13.85 was third nationally. Was this always the case? No, but he improved as the season progressed and was clearly of benefit to the Noles when they needed him most.
Now, he should have a better supporting cast. Luckily like every retiree in America, college football players want an extended stay in Florida, too.
Going on the Offense: The Transfer Portal
While the Noles will retain their top overall threat in Ontaria Wilson this season, they lost Jashaun Corbin and Andrew Parchment to the NFL. In desperate need of supplementation on the depth chart, Mike Norvell stormed the transfer portal and secure four Power-5 transfers to amplify FSU’s offensive capabilities.
Winston Wright, Mycah Pittman, Johnny Wilson, and Deuce Spann will join the Noles to help form the kind of lethal offense anticipated from Mike Norvell. While Wright suffered an injury and Wilson dropped the ball a bit too much, Spann and Pittman showed significant potential in the spring of 2022.
Adding these players to an offense boasting Ja’Khi Douglas, Malik McClain, Keyshawn Helton, Darion Williamson, and Kentron Poitier should boost FSU’s passing and receiving abilities. This will bode well for the offense, and the team’s overall performance.
With these roster changes, FSU is leaving the 2021 season in the past.
Getting Defensive: The Transfer Portal
Like their offense, FSU’s defense is in need of much improvement. And like the offense, FSU’s defense has found hope in the transfer portal. With FSU leaving the 2021 season in the past, a strong defense will help balance the updated roster and boost the team’s chances of an improved win-loss record.
Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller’s defense has actually shown some signs of improvement from 2020 to 2021. That improvement came from key personnel changes like Kevin Knowles and Omarion Cooper securing starting jobs in the secondary and Jammie Robinson making the move to safety. Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas were productive elements for the FSU defense but both having moved on, FSU needed to find replacements to help replace lost productivity.
Luckily, former University of Albany star Jared Verse is joining the Noles this season, lining up next to defensive tackles Fabien Lovett and Robert Cooper. Throw former UCF star Tatum Bethunes, and the Noles defense is taking action to bolster its defense and notch a few more wins for 2022.
Goin’ to the Ship?
No, probably not. FSU has strong chances at improving in pretty much all aspects of play this year. A bowl appearance is not out of the question at this point. But, there is still much to be done before a national title is seriously on the table for the Noles.
That said, if Mike Novell can turn this team from a frog to a prince in the coming season, it’s not unreasonable to consider him for a national contender at some point. For now though, we should all be pleased with the effort for FSU to be leaving the 2021 season in the past.
Like I said, in Tallahassee the times, they are a-changin’.
