Mike Norvell On Recruit Conversations Since FSU Staff Changes: 'The Real Ones Will Show Up'

The Florida State head coach will have a tough task in retaining and building a recruiting class as three key positions have been relieved of their duties.

Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell reacts before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell spoke to the media following the firings of offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans. One of the questions he received surrounded the conversations he’s had with committed and potential recruits since the announcement.

READ MORE: Florida State Announces Firing Of Three Assistant Coaches

Coach Norvell stated that he’s so far spoken to the committed prospects and some top targets.

“Yeah, obviously a lot of communication last night. I was able to -- I think I was able to connect with every commit in this class, guys that are our top targets, and one guy whose phone was not available in the younger class. But I've touched base with all of those guys."

"You spend a lot of time building relationships, and there's times that when those roles are -- positions change, it's hard for kids, but they also understand all the things that are in store for them and the opportunity that's here has not changed. It's just about being able to share as much as I can with them, just the vision for what's ahead. We all know the expectation. Nothing has changed with that, from all the things they've done in the recruiting process."

"But these are not the results that they've wanted, either, and obviously I think a lot of the guys that we have, they're either committed or guys that are our top targets, they're going to be part of that spark. They're going to be those difference makers that we've talked about throughout the course of the year that I think can come in and be able to put their stamp on this program."

"We've seen it before, and we saw it a few years ago when we were coming off a couple of underwhelming seasons on the field. Guys have made a choice. They've said I want to go and I want to be a part of and I want to help spark the change, and they did. You got to lift a championship trophy. You got to win 19 games in a row, I think the second most ever in program history. You got to experience a lot of good things. A lot of those guys are now playing in the National Football League and benefitted from that choice."

"We've got guys that are in this program that are freshmen and redshirt freshmen and true sophomores, some guys that have already come in and been able to play that were a part of that, part of those decisions, and even though right now they might not be physically and some of them even mentally where they need to be to make that play-in-and-play-out impact, they're going to be great players here. It's just trusting that development, trusting the process of what people talk about of just going to get better."

"We've got older guys that obviously get to continue to push and work to lead and work to inspire the guys that are around, and like I said, it's a choice for all of us. We're going to bounce back, and the messaging and even how it was received last night and how it's going to be continued to be reiterated throughout these next few weeks, I mean, it's just all going to be real.”

Norvell closed by emphasizing that the “real ones will show up, and I’m very confident in that.”

Florida State currently holds 13 verbal commitments in its 2025 class which ranks No. 31 in the country.

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