Weekly Mailbag: Early Signing Period, staff changes, and wide receivers
Hey everyone, have you missed me? It's been just under three weeks since our last mailbag to recap the 2021 season and man, we have a ton to talk about today.
Kenny Dillingham and Chris Marve have departed Florida State for new jobs while Alex Atkins (offensive coordinator/offensive line coach), Randy Shannon (linebacker's coach), and Tony Tokarz (quarterback's coach) have all earned promotions. The coaching changes in Tallahassee might not be over just yet as wide receiver's coach Ron Dugans and defensive line coach Odell Haggins will see their contracts expire in January.
READ MORE: Contracts set to expire for two Florida State assistants in January
On the recruiting front, the Seminoles got absolutely blindsided last week with No. 1 Travis Hunter flipping to Deion Sanders and Jackson State in jaw-dropping fashion. The coaching staff also lost out on Devaughn Mortimer, Tyre West, Marvin Jones Jr, and a few other targets. It looked ugy on the outside but the coaching staff still has a solid class in the fold. Depending on the recruiting service you follow, #Tribe22 is regarded as the No. 20 class in the country according to SI All-American and No. 14 according to 247Sports.
There project to be more additions via the remaining unsigned players in the high school class and from the transfer portal. Florida State still has holes at wide receiver, defensive end, and linebacker.
Let's check out a packed mailbag ahead of the new year.
How confident are we feeling about Tribe22 after the Travis Hunter loss? - @griffy_brown
It can't be understated that losing the No. 1 player in the country after having him committed for nearly two years is a massive blow. It came out of nowhere and shocked Florida State just as much as the rest of the country. The Seminoles failed to sign a wide receiver and only have one linebacker and one defensive end signed. That hurts with the depth issues at those positions but things could change by February.
I will say that the coaching staff landed one of the best offensive line classes in years; Julian Armella, Jaylen Early, Qae'Shon Sapp, Daughtry Richardson, and Kanaya Charlton. Prospects such as AJ Duffy, Sam McCall, Azareyeh Thomas, and others are highly regarded. It's a solid 15 man group but there are still some needs to be addressed.
If Kevin Coleman commits elsewhere, how do you think we will account for depth at wide receiver? - @benlinkous
Basically, it'll come down to what is left in the high school ranks and finding talent in the transfer portal. Kevin Coleman is trending to Miami and Florida State is starting to look into backup options. The coaching staff recently landed Oregon wide receiver transfer Mycah Pittman and offered 2022 wide receiver Charles Robertson on Monday.
I think it's imperative to bring in at least two high school players and two transfer portal additions. The room needs an instant influx of talent and depth moving forward.
FSU needs more recruiting on staff. Do we expect any other changes to be made? - @oswaltblake
It's very possible. Ron Dugans and Odell Haggins will be up for extensions in January. Haggins will decide his own future but head coach Mike Norvell might look to replace Dugans. The wide receivers have struggled to develop under Dugans and the recruiting hasn't been any better.
READ MORE: Former Florida State assistant coach hired by Jacksonville State
I think Norvell will evaluate the off-field recruiters like Ryan Bartow, Kenyatta Watson, and Chuck Cantor as well. The entire organization and the closing of recruitments needs to be adjusted. We'll see what happens.
Who should be our new wide receivers coach? - @jackheym_7
In the event that Florida State does move on from Dugans, the most likely scenario will be running backs coach David Johnson will shift his duties to handle the wide receivers. Then, Norvell will look outside of the program to bring on a new running backs coach that also is an ace recruiter in the south east.
What's up with Jordan Young? Rooting for the kid! - @getfaded954
Young had one of the best senior highlight tapes in the entire 2018 class and looked like a future star. Unfortunately, he's simply struggled to develop during his time in garnet and gold. He has all of the tools of a guy that could be productive at the college level. There were some signs in practice towards the end of the season that the light was beginning to turn on for him.
Florida State is going to need someone to step up at wide receiver. Will it be Young?
Why was Corey Wren the starting KR but never played? - @qromemusic
Basically, he's a player that is smaller in stature and he had a lot of other running backs ahead of him. Jashaun Corbin, Lawrance Toafili, Treshaun Ward, DJ Williams, and Ja'Khi Douglas were all in front of Wren on Florida State's depth chart.
The Lousiana native has also dealt with a few injuries. I'm intrigued to see what kind of role he'll have moving into 2022. He has game-changing speed but is a tweener.
Was FSU aware of Travis Hunter's flip before 12/15? - @garyaroberts
By all accounts, Florida State fully expected Travis Hunter to sign with the program going into the Early Signing Period. On the day of, Hunter basically went silent and that is when the Jackson State rumors began to fluctuate.
From what we understand, if he did inform the Seminoles prior to his decision, it was very close to his public announcement. The other recruits in #Tribe22 had no idea what was coming and have not heard from Hunter since.
If Travis Hunter transfers after a year like Quinn Ewers do we go after him? - @ryerschouten
I really doubt it. This staff has a tendency not to revisit recruits that have burned them in the past. If what Branden Jennings did was disrespectful a year ago, they'll never forget Travis Hunter's antics from last week.
Any updates on who FSU is targeting in the portal regarding quarterbacks? - @timjay79
As of right now, it's quiet. It seems like Florida State had some preliminary discussions with Ohio State transfer Jack Miller but that did not transpire into much. Miller committed to Florida earlier this week.
READ MORE: 2022 wide receiver speaks on offer from Florida State
More players will enter the transfer portal in the coming weeks and the coaching staff will see if there are any fits available.
What's the offensive line rotation looking like for next year? - @byronyarber
With the additions of five high school prospects and at least two transfers (Bless Harris and Kayden Lyles), Florida State is projected to enter 2022 with 16 scholarship offensive linemen. Maurice Smith, Robert Scott, Dillan Gibbons, and Darius Washington all started games for the Seminoles in 2021 while younger players such as Rod Orr, Bryson Estes, Thomas Shrader, and Lloyd Willis are continuing to develop.
I could see one of the less experienced options stepping up but right now I think at least one of the transfers will be a starter. Florida State is still looking at making another addition as well.
I'll go with...
LT Robert Scott, LG Dillan Gibbons, C Kayden Lyles, RG Maurice Smith, and RT Darius Washington.
We'll see if that changes during the spring.
Can we beat LSU and Florida? - @joeym813__
Why not? Florida State nearly beat Florida in 2021 while playing a clearly limited Jordan Travis and LSU was nothing special this season. Both programs are undergoing coaching changes right now and will see a lot of roster turnover in the coming months.
If there's an opportunity to get two wins in the books over a pair of SEC programs, it's right now in 2022 with Mike Norvell heading into his third year in Tallahassee.
Follow Dustin Lewis on Twitter
