Mike Norvell enters year seven of his Florida State football tenure with a reshaped front office, coaching staff, and roster as the Seminoles enter a critical year for the program’s future.
Spring football practices start on Monday, March 6, and it’s Norvell and his newly constructed Seminoles ‘ first chance to practice together. FSU brought in over 50 new players between the transfer portal and high school recruitment, and brought in multiple new coaches and assistants.
“We’ve really been able to bring in a wonderful group of leaders, men,” Norvell said at his annual pre-spring practice luncheon with media.
“I think we’ve got a really good group. You do feel their energy and the excitement and the opportunity that’s here at Florida State to leave their mark within this team.”
The changes and roster refresh were necessary as FSU has gone a combined 7-17 in the last two seasons under Norvell. He kept his job after athletic leadership conducted a “program review,” which led to the hiring of new program general manager John Garrett and Taylor Edwards as director of football and player acquisition.
There are a lot of questions around the Seminoles, and particularly at quarterback, with Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels brought in to the program to join rising sophomore Kevin Sperry in the quarterback room. Daniels is the projected starter, currently, but Sperry will have an opportunity to compete.
It’s one of the big storylines of camp for the program. Alongside the quarterback position, here are the key things to follow as the Seminoles enter spring practice.
Norvell says the “best man will play,” so which QB will earn that distinction?
The spring will be the first chance for Daniels and Sperry to take reps together in a team practice setting. While Daniels was brought into the program to be the starter, what happens if the Seminoles see something in Sperry?
According to Norvell, the “best man” is going to start, and that’s not just at quarterback. He said the entire team is competing for time, but added that there are high expectations for the veteran Daniels.
“Across our football team, it’s going to be, ‘the best man will play.’ I think we have big expectations for Ashton. you bring ina guy that has experience that’s at this point of his career, there are high expectations for what that needs to look like,” Norvell said. “Kevin’s been here for a year. Really proud of him and his growth and his progress.”
“Every day I want to see guys challenge to go be the best that they can be. Who’s going to lead in production when they step on the field? You have 10 other guys playing better because of what they do and the position we put ourselves in.”
Daniels went 68-for-119 passing with 797 yards and three passing touchdowns while adding 280 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his four appearances for Auburn last season.
Sperry threw for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running for 27 yards in his limited appearances for FSU last season, and he was often praised by Norvell, Malzahn, and other members of the coaching staff or roster.
Which player pulls ahead by the end of spring is something to monitor, though Daniels is the early favorite as he’s currently expected to be the starter internally.
Regardless, Norvell said it will be a “fun” position to watch.
“I’ve got very high expectations for Ashton, and he’s got to go be everything I know he can be. Same thing with Kevin,” Norvell said. “I think that position specifically is going to be a fun one to watch. They are very talented young men that you can feel their presence in this football team.”
What does the Norvell, Tim Harris Jr offense look like
The late retirement of Malzahn has Norvell back in the play-calling chair alongside Tim Harris Jr., who was promoted to offensive coordinator following Malzahn’s retirement.
Norvell relinquished playcalling duties for his mentor, Malzahn, last season, and it resulted in FSU leading the ACC in rushing offense and averaging 472.1 yards per game of total offense. The numbers were eye-popping on paper, but the Seminoles’ offense left much to be desired with the talent it had.
While Norvell and Harris both take inspiration from Malzahn’s play style, the offense will differ, so what will it look like come spring? Harris said Norvell is collaborative and open to his ideas, and Norvell said he’s excited to get back to his roots.
“I am excited, excited to be back in the room. Obviously, Tim Harris has done an outstanding job of putting his stamp on this offense,” Norvell said. “He’s a tremendous leader of men… It was a seamless transition for us.”
“I’m having fun doing one of the things I really love to do.”
‘This football team has his DNA,’ Duce Robinson is the leader of the Seminoles
Duce Robinson had a chance to go pro after he posted 1,081 yards and six touchdowns on 56 receptions for the Seminoles last season. But rather than leave the program, Robinson came back, and Norvell said his impact on the roster goes beyond what he does on the field.
“This football team has his DNA, and I say that as a great compliment. I’ve coached for 20 years, I don’t know if I’ve been around any better. And I’ve been fortunate. I’ve coached Campbell Award winners. I’ve coached All-Americans. We’ve had the Wuerffel Award winner here in our time. I mean, we’ve been around some great players as well as just great men,” Norvell said.
“Duce is somebody that his heart, the willingness to serve, what he pours into his teammates, how he challenges himself. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to coach him for another year.”
Members of the coaching staff and the roster have echoed Norvell’s praise of Robinson. There is a belief that Robinson will be better than he was last season, when he became the first wide receiver since 2019 to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the program.
“He wanted this year to be, for one, for him to be better. I think you feel that in how he works, what he does, you know the urgency that I feel from him and being the complete receiver,” Norvell said. “He’s not wasting days. If he’s not at the facility, he’s doing something making an impact in our community.”
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Storylines to follow for FSU football, Mike Norvell in spring camp
