Stephen A. Smith Says FSU Football Should Have Hired Deion Sanders

The ESPN personality has never been shy to make bold proclamations.

Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Florida State is in the middle of arguably the worst season in school history. The Seminoles entered the year ranked in the AP top-10 and now find themselves 1-7 through eight games. With head coach Mike Norvell in the first year of an eight-year extension that pays him over $10 million annually, some are feeling a little bit of buyer's remorse and others are letting the hot takes fly.

On Monday, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith made a bold claim in reference to the Seminoles while talking about Deion Sanders and Colorado on First Take. In his opinion, Florida State should've hired Sanders, who starred in Tallahassee from 1985-88, instead of Norvell.

"They should have hired Prime Time at his alma mater," Smith claimed. "They should have hired him at Texas A&M...The way Alabama's looking, I think they should have hired him at Alabama."

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Looking back into history, Sanders wasn't even a head coach at the college level when Florida State tabbed Norvell to rebuild the program in December of 2019. At that point in time, the former NFL and MLB superstar had only spent less than a decade coaching at various high schools or prep schools in the state of Texas. He was unproven as a college coach.

Jackson State ultimately hired Sanders on September 21, 2020, and he wouldn't coach his first game until the spring due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Tigers finished 4-3, with one victory coming by forfeit. That ultimately sparked an impressive run where the program went 27-6 under Sanders, including a 12-1 finish in 2022.

Following his success at the FCS level, Colorado hired Sanders amidst a rough stretch, generating national attention and putting a spotlight on the program in the process. Sanders went 4-8 last season but is off to a 6-2 start in 2024, earning the Buffaloes a spot in the top-25.

On the flip side, Florida State has fallen to a cellar dweller this year following a 13-1 campaign and an ACC Championship in 2023. The Seminoles went 23-4 over the last two seasons but find themselves back where they started when Norvell was hired nearly half a decade ago.

Revisionist history is always fun to look back on and some fans clamored for Sanders back during that window when the Florida State job was open, but that was never going to happen considering the state of both parties at the time. Norvell has led the Seminoles to success before and now he'll have to do it again, albeit with plenty of expected changes coming this offseason.

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