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FSU Assistant Coach Leaves for Gonzaga

The Seminoles are losing an assistant coach to one of the top programs in the country.

After a tumultuous season and rocky start to the off-season, Florida State assistant coach R-Jay Barsh has accepted a job at Gonzaga. Barsh spent one season as an assistant in Tallahassee after spending the previous three years at Boise State. FSU went 9-23 in his lone season on staff, and he will now go back to the Pacific Northwest where he’s had success. 

READ MORE: Florida State Offensive Lineman D’Mitri Emmanuel Granted Seventh Year Of Eligibility

While at Boise State, Barsh was on a staff that helped the Broncos reach a program high 27 wins in 2022 on their way to a Mountain West Conference championship. He’s regarded as a high-level talent developer and recruiter. Plus, he was the lead recruiter on 2024 Top-10 prospect Zoom Diallo from Seattle. It will be interesting to see if Florida State remains heavily involved in his process with Gonzaga a school he was already considering. 

Gonzaga is coming off of a 31-6 record, their “worst” regular season since 2015/16, and lost to UCONN by 28 in the Elite Eight. They’ve been as consistent as any team in the country recently, with three 1 seeds in the last four NCAA tournaments, and two National Championship appearances in the last 6 tournaments. Despite not breaking through for the title, they recruit and develop at a high level, which should be a great fit for Coach Barsh. 

We’ll keep an eye on any assistant names that FSU is interested in. They’re going to want to get this figured out quickly. The Seminoles are after a lot of transfers, and the sooner they can try and find some stability, the sooner they can sell a vision to transfers and recruits.

READ MORE: Florida State Spring Camp Observations: D'Mitri Emmanuel Returns to Practice as Offense Flashes

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