Former FBS Coach With Ties To Mike Norvell Spotted At Florida State’s Practice

The Seminoles had an intriguing guest at practice on Tuesday.

Apr 13, 2019; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive Coordinator Chip Long watches in the first quarter of the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Florida State is already searching for a new offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and wide receivers coach but other changes could be on the horizon with two games remaining in the 2024 season. There are different areas across the coaching staff and program that might see an adjustment this offseason.

Head coach Mike Norvell has already mentioned growing interest in the openings and beginning the process of evaluations and conversations. That's what made it so intriguing when former Southern Miss offensive coordinator Chip Long was spotted at Florida State's practice on Tuesday morning.

Long spent time around the offense throughout the session, observing the group in various drills and constantly checking what appeared to be a playsheet in his hand. He stood side-by-side with Norvell during the scout team portion of practice, exchanging words every now and then after plays. Long walked out of practice with tight ends coach Chris Thomsen.

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This could be an interesting development, or it could not be. Long was fired by Southern Miss earlier this month just weeks after head coach Will Hall was let go. He's a free agent in the coaching market and also has a previous relationship with Norvell. The two worked together at Arizona State from 2012-15 when Norvell was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and Long was the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. Was Long just watching practice or might there be something more to this?

Norvell hired Long as his offensive coordinator during his first season as the head coach at Memphis in 2016. Long departed the following year to take the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach job at Notre Dame. During his three years with the Fighting Irish, the program went 33-6 and had three tight ends drafted (Durham Smythe - 2018 4th round pick, Alize Mack - 2019 7th round pick, Cole Kmet - 2020 2nd pick). Long has bounced around over the last five years, spending time at Tennessee (offensive analyst, 2020), Tulane (OC/QBs coach, 2021), Georgia Tech (OC/TEs coach, 2022), and Louisville (quality control, 2023), prior to his most recent position at Southern Miss.

I don't believe that Long will be the next offensive coordinator at Florida State. However, there could be mutual interest in an assistant coach role or off-the-field position. As mentioned above, Long has a diverse and proven background when it comes to coaching tight ends. That position is one where the Seminoles have struggled to consistently acquire talent from the high school ranks and the on-field performance has been up-and-down.

Chris Thomsen has been Norvell's tight ends coach since he arrived in Tallahassee in December of 2019. With that being said, prior to that, basically the entirety of Thomsen's coaching career revolved around the offensive line. I think there's certainly a scenario where Long takes over the tight ends and Thomsen is moved to help out the program in a different capacity. I'm not sure if that's something that's even been considered or discussed at this time.

There is also the possibility of Long taking on an offensive analyst or recruiting role. He's has a strong background on the trail and was the recruiting coordinator for four years at Arizona State. Long is credited with landing some very talented recruits such as five-star tight end Michael Mayer (Las Vegas Raiders), four-star wide receiver N'Keal Harry (Seattle Seahawks), four-star tight end Cole Kmet (Chicago Bears). He was the primary recruiter four-star quarterback Brady White with the Sun Devils. White eventually transferred to Memphis and blossomed under Norvell.

In all reality, Long could've also been at Florida State's practices during the BYE week, we just don't know since there wasn't any media availability. This will be a development NoleGameday will continue to monitor moving forward.

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