Florida State Seminoles 2022 Preview

Mike Norvell
FSU Head Coach
Photo/On3

Simply stated, it is a pivotal season for Florida State head coach Mike Norvell. While it is certainly noted that Norvell inherited a mess, as he begins his third season, there is no question Norvell has excelled in several significant areas; however, the most important area on the ledger, wins, remains elusive. And while Florida State closed nicely, the Seminoles fell short of reaching a bowl game after a concerning 0-4 start. That start, although including an overtime home opening loss to Notre Dame, was seared as negative with a mind boggling home loss to Jacksonville State, an FCS team from Alabama not to be confused with those Jaguars down the road. There is no doubt that that loss cost Norvell measurable goodwill with much of the fan base. But, there is a high degree of optimism heading into the 2022 season.  The items Norvell has performed strongly in, many being little things that make the difference in success, are bearing fruit.  Among these areas are strength and nutrition, mental buy in and discipline by the players with most if not all of the problem children off to less challenging pastures. Perhaps more notably, Norvell now has a team with players who can execute in line with his coaching philosophies. The Seminoles seem improved at each level offensively, defensively and on special teams. Perhaps most importantly is the maturation of the offensive line, which obviously is critical for the success of an offense. Norvell has recruited well, and he has once again really made gains in the transfer portal, bringing in several key players set for immediate impact.  So for 2022, the schedule is remains tough for the Seminoles, but less challenging than the one faced last season. There seems little doubt, provided FSU remains healthy, the Seminoles will be a much better football team this season expected to reach a bowl game. So, let’s take a look at this talented and improved football team.

OFFENSE

Jordan Travis
Quarterback
Florida State 
Photo/Tallahassee Democrat

After clearly winning the quarterback job, Jordan Travis continued to elevate his game playing outstanding ball down the stretch last season. Now, this team is unquestionably his. Now while Travis was quite effective with the use of his legs, he threw for 15 touchdowns versus 6 interceptions, which is obviously not great. Often running for his life, Travis was prone to being banged up, missing time periodically, so it is imperative Travis play smart and remain healthy. But, Travis has worked hard to improve in the offseason, adding strength, extending his command of the offensive philosophy and improving his passing skills, which has been quite noticeable for fall camp observers. We think Travis could be a player who surprises nationally, throwing for around 2500 yards and 25 touchdowns while adding another 500 yards rushing with some timely advances. Tate Rodemacher and AJ Duffy have improved, and are quality backups.

An improved offensive line will certainly help, so we expect to see significantly improved numbers from Travis. As we mentioned, the offensive line has been poor for years, however, the unit this year is without question improved under stellar position coach Alex Atkins. At center, Florida State would like to play Maurice Smith, a top player who gas put on some weight after playing, and getting injured, undersized. Kayden Lyles transferred in from Wisconsin and was expected to at a minimum compete here, but an injury in fall camp has him lost for 2022. Others are working at this important position to provide stability are Bryson Estes and Thomas Schrader. Dylan Gibbons is solid at one guard and Darrius Washington may be the other. Top backups here appear to be Thomas Schrader and Zane Herring. The versatile Washington seems a fit at tackle opposite Robert Scott, but Lamar transfer Bless Harris seems destined to play frequent snaps. Charlotte transfer D'Mitri Emmanuel could play tackle, along with South Carolina transfer Jazston Turnetine. Freshman Julian Armella and Kenyata Charlton are ready if needed, but this unit has much more quality depth and although not among the tops in the conference, is much improved.

While Norvell teams in the past have had strong passing attacks, but that success is predicated on the run. Although this team is not complete as far as the makeup Norvell ultimately seeks, the Seminoles do have a very strong compliment of backs. This group includes Trey Benson, who transferred in from Oregon. Benson is coming off an injury, but he has looked tremendous since his arrival and will figure prominently.  Treshaun Ward, a shifty who makes would be tacklers miss, will get a high number of carries. Lawrence Toafili is a home threat rushing and receiving out of the backfield, so he will without question get snaps. For depth purposes, WR Joshua Burrell has gotten some work at running back, but look for true freshman Rodney Hill, who may be the fastest player on the team, to establish himself.

The receiving core has sadly been a deficiency for the Seminoles, who have really not had a top level player seemingly since Rashaad Greene. Ontaria Wilson, who has led the team in catches two seasons in a row returns, but he may be fighting for catches. Oregon transfer Mycah Pittman seems the consistent performer the Seminoles have been seeking, so we expect him to start. Arizona State transfer Johnny Wilson, beyond being a strong blocker, is a big target giving the Seminoles heighted opportunities in short yardage and the red zone. Winston Wirght transferred in from West Virginia  after leading the Mounties in 2021 with 63 catches, but he was injured in an off-season car accident. Although he is working his way back, nobody seems sure when he might be available. Illinois transfer Deuce Spann has been quite a pleasant surprise, a rare combination of size and speed. Looks like Spann will get plenty of snaps.  Malike McLain at 6'4" is a big target, but he has been a bit slow to develop. The time is now. Experienced contributor Keyshawn Helton, Darion Williamson, Kentron Pointier and Joshua Burrell are all working to take their games to a new level, although Burrell has put in work as in the running back room in fall camp.  Ja'khi Douglass, who has made some game changing big plays, continues to be ready out of the slot to make house calls at a moment's notice.  Overall, this group seems in prime position to very much improved, and everyone is counting on it.

Camren McDonald, a leader in the locker room, returns at tight end. as does Wyatt Rector, a former quarterback who has deceptive skills at this position. Markeston Douglas is turning some heads in fall camp, and expectations are high for youngsters Brian Courtney and Jerale Powers. Nut make no mistake, FSU coaches are looking for more, much more, from this position.

Now, it all has to come together, but with an improved offensive line, a key element of an offense's success, a group of wide receivers poised to reach new heights and a very impressive group of talented running backs, with Jordan Travis directing a more structured and wide open attack, the Seminoles have a chance to be somewhat potent. We expect in the neighborhood of 500 yards and 33 points per game, and if so, that alone should send the hungry Seminoles bowling.  

DEFENSE

Last year the Seminoles hit a home run with edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, who transferred in from Georgia and won All America honors becoming a first round draft pick. Can they do it again? Odds are against it, but FSU did bring in an edge rusher who could play at a very high level. Highly sought after Albany transfer Jared Verse is ready at 6'5" 250.  Derrick McLendon is another quality player at the position, while the Seminoles are stacked inside. Defensive tackles Fabian Lovett and Robert Cooper are potential All ACC players, and on the edge is Dennis Briggs is primed for a big year coming of injury. Patrick Payton is a good looking young edge prospect, but tackle Joshua Farmer has the look of a future star, while Malcolm Ray and Jarrett Jackson continue their development. Not surprisingly, the defensive front under coach Odell Haggins might be the team's top strength.

The linebacking core is pretty good. Amari Gainer is a high level athlete, a lock for the all bus team, but as we have previously stated he continues to be a tweener and coaches are working to find the best spot for him, but make no mistake he needs to be on the field. Stephen Dix has talent and continues to develop but is also undersized. One starting linebacker spot will go to Tatum Bethune, who transferred in after leading UCF is tackles in 2021.  Bethune is all over the field and could well challenge for conference honors. On the weakside, Kalen DeLoach really raised his game last year and he is primed for another big year. DJ Lundy is another quality player here, and freshman Omar Graham may figure in. Watch for converted safety Brendan Gant, who can make plays, to figure in. 

JAMMIE ROBINSON
SAFETY
PHOTO/TWITTER

 I am really excited about the potential of this secondary! Now, the Seminoles know what they have in safety Jammie Robinson, who led the team in tackles in 2021. But with the Seminoles visualizing linebacker Tatum Bethune gathering a large portion of those tackles, Robinson can be even more effective in 2022, Five star recruit Akeem Dent, who is an excellent athlete, should have a strong season at strong safety. Sidney Williams, Jarques McClellion and Shyheim Brown are talented backups who can be counted on. Sophomore corner Omarion Cooper showed top level skills on occasion last year, and he could play himself into consideration for honors. Kevin Knowles also shined, so there is a high level of confidence in this pair. Renardo Green and Jarrian Jones will be active as well. Greedy Vance, Travis Jay and transfer Malik Feaster are the reserves. Now, a pair of true freshman corners seemed destined for stardom; Azareye'h Thomas and Sam McCall are much too talented to keep of the field, so expect them to gain playing time as the season progresses. Between the growth and the addition of quality transfers, the defense has built some quality depth and established a rising level of talent at each level of the unit.  In 2021, once things got settled, the defensive unit actually performed fairly well.  We expect the 2022 unit to be menacing, and capable to some extent of controlling a game, particularly if we see the continued growth we expect. This group will be fun to watch, and they could really surprise us.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Ryan Fitzgerald returns at placekicker, but he has not been stellar, so consider it a work in progress.  Alex Mastromanno will continue to handle punts, but although there was some consistency last year, improvement is needed there as well. Returning kicks has been a long time issue for the Seminoles, surrendering a hideous amount of hidden yardage. The return game seems low hanging fruit on the path to improvement for the Seminoles, and perhaps that has been address with two transfer players; Mycah Pittman on punt returns after averaging 10 yards per return last year at Oregon and Deuce Spann on kickoff after some success at Illinois last year. There are plenty of other players with high levels of speed and elusiveness as long as this area of the game is given priority.

INTANGIBLES

Seminoles

Norvell has done a great job in cleaning house, emptying the locker room of the troublemakers. In fact, this team appears close and ready to fight for one another. We saw some of that last year; the team never gave up and fought hard to the end.  It is this type of journey that makes these experiences all that more rewarding.  So, we are excited at the prospects of this team. A trip to New Orleans to face LSU gives the Seminoles a delicious early opportunity to defeating an SEC team in hostile territory as a prelude to a successful season.  For once, the intangibles are trending in favor of FSU.

HONORS CANDIDATES

Nobody on this team is a lock for honors. The individual getting the most preseason recognition is safety Jammie Robinson, and that is well deserved. Tatum Bethune has a shot to be sure, as he is a tackling machine.  Among others that seem to have opportunities are offensive guard Dillan Gibbons and defensive tackle Fabian Lovett. Defensive backs Azareye'h Tomas and Sam McCall. Both could be freshman All America team members. Other players are primed to emerge, and we actually expect many to do just that.

NEW ARRIVALS

MYCAH PITTMAN
WR/KR 
PHOTO/24/7 SPORTS

Again, Mike Norvell continues to work magic in the portal. Transfer wide receivers Mycah Pittman from Oregon, Deuce Spann from Illinois, Johny Wilson from Arizona State and Winston Wright from West Virgina are slated as prime contributors.  On the offensive line, several players figure prominently. Lamar transfer Bless Harris, Charlotte transfer D'Mitri Emmanuel, South Carolina transfer Jazston Turnetine. Wisconsin transfer Kayden Lyles was lost in fall camp for the season. Freshman Julian Armella and Kenyata Charlton have the look of future national honors candidates. Running back Trey Benson figures to play an extensive role in the backfield for the Seminoles. Defensively, Edge rusher Jared Verse is expected to be a force harassing opposing signal callers. UCF transfer Tatum Bethune is a threat for an All ACC spot. In the defensive backfield, transfers Greedy Vance and Malik Feaster are looking for opportunities, but it is a pair of true freshman that appear ready for stardom in Azareye'h Tomas and Sam McCall. Both could be freshman All America team members. With high numbers like this, cohesion is often a concern, but early indications are extremely positive.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Folks, we can't dodge what is obviously very apparent to Nole Nation; this is nothing short of a critical season for Florida State, and more specifically head coach Mike Norvell.  A losing season is simply unacceptable, and Florida State MUST make a bowl game.  In fact, most acknowledge that Norvel has performed significantly well in every area, other than wins. The time for the wins to occur is now.  While there is no question FSU will miss DE Jermaine Johnson, who not only dominated on the field but was a centerpiece in the locker room, the Seminoles appear improved at each and every level of play.  Three areas of deficiency that with expected improvements could raise the overall level of play for the Seminoles are the offensive line, the wide receivers and the special teams.  Norvell has done a great job in working to improve these areas. Now, the schedule is challenging. After a week zero tune up, a huge opportunity exists as FSU travels to New Orleans to face LSU, who is in transition under new coach Brian Kelly.  After a bye comes some significant contests that could determine the order of finish in the Atlantic division.  FSU travels to face a dangerous Louisville team and then returns home to host Boston College and Wake Forest. Each of these are winnable games, and after these games are played we should have a good read on the Noles. Anything worse than 3-2 here would be disappointing. Then come a pair of contests where Florida State will be underdogs, at a much improved and veteran NC State team and a home game with nationally ranked Clemson. After another bye week, FSU closes hosting Georgia Tech, road games at rival Miami and Syracuse, home to Louisiana and the rival Florida Gators.  FSU seems an underdog to both Miami and Florida but could win both. So, following the odds, the Seminoles will come in at 6-6.  We think FSU beats LSU and/or Louisville and holds serve at home early. FSU could be gaining strength as the season progresses, and it would be great to upset Miami or Florida. The Seminoles could be 9-3, but we are placing stake at 7-5. This gets FSU to a bowl game and allows Mike Norvell to continue has head coach. We can't wait for kickoff! Go NOLES!

GAMEDAY GALLERY

NoleVelle

Florida State will introduce today Mike Norvell as head football coach of the Seminoles.

Norvell, who comes to FSU after guiding Memphis to a 12-1  record and likely Cotton Bowl berth, replaces Willie Taggart, who was dismissed earlier in the season.

Given the shallow pool of available candidates, Mike Norvell seems to be an excellent hire for the Seminoles. Norvell is not the "big fish" many in Seminole Nation hoped for, but he is no doubt at the head of the class of up and coming coaches.

Norvell is detail oriented and runs an innovative and explosive offense, both things the Seminoles covet.

We welcome Coach Mike Norvell to Tallahassee and Florida State University. GO NOLES!

Trainwreck Tenure Terminates Taggart

While there were a strong contingency of doubters, now proven accurate, many though Willie Taggart would be successful as head football coach at Florida State.  After all, Taggart, a native Floridian and lifelong fan of the Seminoles, had built some coach credibility over the years and seemed poised to rise to the challenge of directing the Florida State program after Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M.

His career had Taggart taking over his Alma mater Western Kentucky, turning that program entirely around culminating in a 10 win season which got him hired at South Florida. The Bulls, who had fallen sharply prior to his arrival, rose to prominence under Taggart, even comporting themselves well in a loss at Tallahassee versus FSU. This success got Taggart hired at Oregon, where in his only year with the Ducks reversed a losing season with a winning one even while dealing with losing their starting quarterback early on in 2017.

So Florida State came calling, securing Taggart to become head coach, but the price to gather in Taggart after only one year with Oregon was steep. Given the success the Seminoles anticipated with Taggart, the cost seemed to be balanced with FSU continuing and perhaps even expanding their gridiron success.

The tenure for Willie Taggart at Florida State was a trainwreck.

In his first game, a indescribable 24-3 home loss to Virginia Tech, there were areas of immediate concern. The season culminated with Florida State missing a bowl, breaking the nation's longest present active bowl streak. That was unacceptable.

The schedule afforded a real opportunity in 2019, but the success would seemingly hinge on mentality gained from getting early victories, as I mentioned to Coach Taggart when we met earlier in the summer, in a game against Boise State in Jacksonville and a road tilt at Virginia.  Due to weather, the Boise State game was moved to Tallahassee. FSU raced out to an 18 point lead against Boise, but lost. Then, FSU narrowly escaped Louisiana Monroe at home (which panicked boosters) and then lost a late lead to lose at Virginia. Instead of being 3-0, FSU was 1-2 and the writing was on the wall.

The atmosphere in Tallahassee for the Miami game, even with the Hurricanes being a hated rival, was ridiculous. Nobody was fired up, the stands were alarmingly empty and the event had a moribund look. Then the action had the Seminoles looking what had become customarily unprepared, besieged by penalties, missed assignments and a visible lack of intensity.

Florida State got clocked by 17, and nobody seemed particularly agitated about it. The activities of the day told anyone and everyone looking everything they wanted to know.

The powers that be were watching, and I had barely made it back to Orlando on Sunday before the news of Taggart's dismissal went viral on social media. With a 9-13 overall record in Tallahassee, coming of an exposing home loss to the Miami Hurricanes, Taggart was fired.  Even with the financial ramifications in full vision, this was the correct move.

Where does Florida State go from here? Well, good question.

Florida State President John Thrasher sent out a letter to Seminole Boosters asking for donation levels to be expanded as Florida State appears to need assistance to usher in a new era of Seminole Football.  This type of action does not appear to be engaged to if you are not hunting big fish.

The pool of candidates who appear to possess the desired experience to bring the Florida State program back to the level of national prominence the expected, and this includes operations beyond just the activities within the gridiron, are thin. 

One such individual would be retired Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. There is a circle of social media outlets which think Stoops has already been hired, but most if not all the official media outlets describe Stoops as "no longer a candidate" after the Seminoles apparently and appropriately reached out. For me, Stoops checks every box and would be ideal for FSU given where the Seminoles program stands.

Some indicate Penn State coach James Franklin is a candidate. Franklin has won everywhere he has been, and he certainly has the background I think would be required.  Seminole Nation would welcome Franklin.

Matt Campbell of Iowa State is a real intriguing young candidate. He has done wonders at Iowa State, and is very highly though of by his peers. Many would be thrilled to welcome Campbell in.

Notre Dame's Brian Kelly has gotten some mention, but he does not figure to be coaching into the future long enough to see this rebuild through. So, we don't think he is a realistic candidate. Minnesota's PJ Fleck looks signed up to remain with the Gophers.

Beyond those guys, the pool sinks.

Mike Norvell of Memphis is somebody to look at, as might Luke Fickell of Cincinnati. Could a dismissed Clay Helton of USC, a Gainesville born Auburn grad get a look? Who knows?

Maybe FSU is looking where nobody thinks they are? Is somebody we don't anticipate looking for a new challenge?

Is current interim head coach, longtime assistant and former player Odell Haggins, a serious candidate. Man, we love us some Odell, the pride of Bartow, but is he adequately equipped to deal with the overall rebuild required throughout the organization? Maybe he is the best bang for the buck for now.

One thing is for sure. Florida State needs to get this right.  No fan should have to check a Wikipedia page to learn about the new coach. The ramifications are huge.

I suspect we find out shortly after the Seminoles give it go at Gainesville against the Gators on Saturday.