Everything Noles: For Florida State Seminoles Fans

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What are realistic expectations for FSU football in 2023? What would be a success, or failure, for the Florida State Seminoles this season? Aug 28, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Week 1.

Florida State football is finally here. Game week arrives for the Seminoles as a date with the LSU Tigers in Orlando is just six days away.

With the first game of the year arriving in less than a week, the Seminole Wrap crew — Brian Pellerin, Jon Marchant and Ben Meyerson — discuss their expectations for Sunday’s marquee matchup and the rest of Florida State’s season.

What’s the key matchup for FSU vs. LSU?

The only top-ten contest of opening weekend, Florida State vs. LSU figures to be a tight one. The spread from DraftKings has LSU as small 2.5 point favorites, a position its held for a few weeks now, entering Monday.

With last year’s tight contest as a guide, this game figures to come down to the margins. One play can and likely will make the difference.

So where could those big plays come from?

Our guys are keeping their eyes on the LSU rushing attack against Florida State’s front as the Tigers try to establish a new identity behind their offensive line and Florida State’s wide receivers against the LSU secondary as their new bevy of weapons figures to give the new faces playing for the Tigers some fits.

Who will win?

Brian, Ben and Jon each give their predictions for the game with no one expecting a contest finishing even a touchdown apart, but they were split on who would ultimately end up with the edge.

(Long time listeners may not be surprised by who split that decision. Plus a wager on the game to be paid out on next week’s pod.)

What are their expectations for 2023 and what would be considered a failure?

Each member of the team shares their thoughts on where they see the Noles season finishing when they look into their crystal ball. The spoiler alert there is that each of them are picking progression over last season.

But what if things were to go wrong?

What should be the baseline expectation for this team if they remain healthy in the key spots? And where would this team have to finish for the year with so much excitement and expectations be considered a disappointment?

Can Florida State fans be happy if they fail to grab the ACC title?

This is an action item request: Let us know what you think. Could FSU’s season be considered successful without being ACC Champions?

Regardless of how it is, the crew is in agreement — 2023 will be a fun year to be a Florida State fan.

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FSU holds final preseason practice inside Doak Campbell Stadium -- Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell interview Aug 27, 2023

Show notes

Florida State Seminoles football took to Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday night for the final practice of preseason camp, with head coach Mike Norvell excited about the opportunity for his team to get a quick feel for their home field.

“I thought tonight was a good night, getting back out in Doak Campell,” he said after practice. “We wanted to get a little bit of experience of that. I thought they came out and worked. It was a tough practice, we wanted and needed one I thought there were some up and down moments throughout practice, but all in all, I’m liking what I’m seeing from this team.”

“I thought there were some moments of elite-level intensity today, and there were some moments where we, especially later in practice, kind of jumped on guys. I’s been a real camp, we’ve gotten after it..really good moments in today’s practice, but some of those times where maybe [we’re] not as sharp we got to continue to get better.”

Norvell met with the media after practice to offer impressions on the night’s work output and overall fall camp thoughts and Florida State’s season opener vs. the LSU Tigers approaches.

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Week 0 picks, daily fantasy breakdown: Making predictions for winners on college football's opening weekend Aug 25, 2023

Show notes

College football is back in our lives.

Yes, it’s a snack size week zero once again, but it’s more than we had a week ago.

One new new big addition to our pod network this season? A new show, Sharpen the Point.

Each Friday. Brian Pellerin and Chris Tyndall will talk about the games that stand out that weekend — some weeks maybe two games, others maybe 10 — as well as, another new addition, which matchups will make the difference.

Chris is an avid college football daily fantasy player who possibly knows more about third-string running backs and college football injury reports than many college coaches may know. So we’ll leverage his deep knowledge of those things to hopefully give us a deeper look into the games and his perspective on where he’s interested in building lineups for this week’s competitions.

We will be getting all the lines and salaries from DraftKings because they provide lines and DFS prices so it’s easier to track picks.

Whether you like picking games or playing DFS, we want the podcast to be something any fan of college football can enjoy and learn something from and hopefully we can accomplish that for you. Allow us some growing pains as we build the plane in the air and let’s have some fun with what’s shaping up to be a very fun college football season for the Garnet & Gold.

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FSU football: Mike Norvell interview after August 24 Florida State Seminoles football practice -- FSU officially begins game preparation for LSU Aug 24, 2023

Show notes

Red and white — with the occasional green.

All of fall camp, those have been the only jersey colors worn. That changed today, with scout team players donning new jet-black Nike practice jerseys for the first time this fall as what Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell alluded to yesterday came to fruition — it was time for the team to begin to amp up its efforts in locking in for its season-opening matchup vs. the LSU Tigers.

It was the first time extensive scout work had been done this fall, officially shifting the team's focus from camp and reacclimating to the standard to opening the season in Camping World Stadium.

Norvell reiterated this during his media availability this morning, saying that Thursday “was the first day of LSU looks and things that we anticipate.”

Practice looked different, but some players took it in stride and did not miss a beat.

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FSU football season opener breakdown: What should Florida State Seminoles expect from LSU? feat. Grant Chachere of And The Valley Shook Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

In less than two weeks, the Florida State Seminoles will open their 2023 season against the LSU Tigers in Orlando.

It’s the second time in as many years the two will face off against each other, but the stakes feel much different this go around.

Both teams have found themselves ranked in the top ten of the AP and Coaches poll to start the year — last season, both were unranked.

LSU and FSU are in the top seven best odds to win the College Football Playoff this season, according to DraftKings Sportsbook — last season, ten wins for either team felt like a long shot.

The questions from last season around the two quarterbacks are now all but gone as LSU’s Jayden Daniels and FSU’s Jordan Travis are in the top five favorites to hoist the Heisman trophy.

A lot of the perceptions around the teams have changed, but what really makes them so different from a year ago?

On this week’s episode of the Seminole Wrap podcast, Brian Pellerin is joined by Grant Chachere, an LSU beat writer from And The Valley Shook, to talk about the Tigers.

What changed after last year’s game?

Last year’s contest was an ugly 24-23 Florida State win. Neither team amounted much in the way of explosive plays, but it was LSU who really couldn’t find their footing.

The Bayou Bengals lacked anything that resembled a dangerous offense until late in the contest. Outside of those final two drives, it was anything but pretty. The offense had errant snaps. The kicking unit had multiple kicks blocked. The punt return team muffed multiple returns.

Like I said, not pretty.

But LSU ended up winning 10 games in route to claiming the SEC West title over Alabama.

Now, the Tigers are expected to compete for the SEC and national titles. So what’s changed?

Jayden Daniels

As mentioned above, Jayden Daniels is among the favorites to hoist the Heisman this year, but you wouldn’t know it from last season’s game against FSU. By all accounts, he’s taken to Brian Kelly’s staff and taken control of the offense.

So what allowed him to blossom last season? What does he look like so far this year? And is the hype warranted?

LSU offensive weapons

Kayshon Boutte was the talk of the town last season, but it was Malik Nabors who showed out. He blossomed as the year went along and is now the most dangerous weapon on the Tigers’ offense. What does he bring to the table and who else do the Noles need to look out for?

LSU defense

The LSU defense was solid in last year’s contest, but there were a few faces that became stars that were not on the field that night. Who are Harold Perkins, Maason Smith and Mekhi Wingo? And how could their presence impact Florida State’s offense this year?

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FSU football: Florida State's second scrimmage highlights intensity, competition ahead of season opener -- Mike Norvell, Alex Atkins, Adam Fuller, John Papuchis interviews Aug 20, 2023

Show notes

With two weeks to go until Florida State Seminoles football takes on the LSU Tigers in a season-opening top-ten clash, the already-established need for elevated execution and consistency is hitting another level.

After the Seminoles’ second scrimmage of preseason camp, head coach Mike Norvell, offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and special teams coordinator/defensive ends coach John Papuchis all took to the mic, speaking on individual and positional performances but emphasizing the challenge placed before the team ahead of an expectations-filled season.

“Florida State is not for everybody — it’s just for the real ones,” Norvell said. “It’s for the ones that when they say they want to go and accomplish great things, then you know we’re going to help them work towards it.”

Head coach Mike Norvell

“The way our guys competed is really going to help. We put some guys in positions to help us and emerge in bigger roles, and like I told the team, there’s some guys that played a lot of football that gotta work and gotta get better or you can be passed by. I really like our depth, I like the competitiveness within each room. As we’re getting closer, every day counts and every rep counts.”

Offensive coordinator, offensive line coach Alex Atkins

“Jordan was Jordan — he got in there and operated efficiently. Made good decisions, took care of the ball. It’s good to see him go out there and operate. I love him. Sometimes you get accustomed to seeing it and you kind of take it for granted, but he’s a special player.”

Video via Warchant

Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller

“We got a chance to be as good as there is. I think we got a really strong nucleus of players, we’re constantly trying to build depth because you know, you’re going to need it, but I feel really confident about the group of guys that we have. We’re going to have to continue to work at it and continue to execute on game days, but I don’t put any limits on what this group can accomplish both defensively and as a team and we’ve got the right people. But that right group of people needs to continue to push in the right direction and I’ve got no questions about who we coach right now. I’m excited to go to work and jump in this season with them.”

Special teams coordinator, defensive ends coach John Papuchis

“I thought today was our best day probably as a unit for the specialists in terms of overall assessment. I think in terms of kickers, both guys have had a really good camp and I think here in the next week or so we’re going to have to make some tough decisions but both guys have competed well. There’s been pretty consistent performances from both kickers, and that’s a good thing to have that kind of competition in camp. It makes everybody better and then it also obviously creates depth for your roster moving forward.”

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FSU softball: Breaking down offseason headlines, 2024 Florida State Seminoles softball outlook with D1 Softball’s Brady Vernon Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

The college softball offseason is in full swing with transfers finding new homes, teams starting to take shape and new rules coming down from the NCAA. The picture of 2024 for the Florida State Seminoles and everyone else is starting to come into focus.

As we wait on Team 41 to open their season, the Seminole Softball Wrap podcast crew — Gwyn Rhodes and Brian Pellerin — sought out national college softball writer Brady Vernon of D1Softball.com to discuss the stories of the offseason so far.

Covered in this episode:

Transfer Portal

The biggest moves of the new year so far are centered around the Oklahoma Sooners. One of the best pitchers in the sport out, another in... and then some.

Gwyn and Brian get Brady’s perspective on Jordy Bahl’s move to Nebraska, Kelly Maxwell’s jump across the state of Oklahoma to try and fill Bahl’s shoes, Alana Vawter’s move to the SEC and more.

Does he see this as a weakening of college softball’s dominant force? Who are the teams that currently could push OU for the Women’s College World Series this year?

Florida State

The Noles are of course among that crew. They’ve built a powerhouse program perpetually in the top ten with the goal of OKC every year.

But how does that translate to their national reputation?

Brady sure thinks so, saying he believes OU fans look at FSU as their biggest competition each season and the program consistently pushing to compete.

2024 won’t be much different. The lineup is largely back so the bats should continue to find ways. In the circle, losing Kat Sandercock will hurt, but Brady has confidence in the growth of Makenna Reid into that role. Plus there’s another pitcher that he thinks is ready to find that stride in Tallahassee this season.

Conference Realignment

The Big Ten and the Big 12 have raided the Pac-12 leaving no conference left with a west coast base. It’s a move driven by football that will almost certainly have impacts on softball as well.

The west coast used to run the sport and recruiting it well remains crucial to a strong program. Could the loss of a regional conference on the west coast open the door to more teams recruiting out there? And does the SEC gain an advantage as the only truly regional conference.

New Rules for 2024

The NCAA released some new rules for the upcoming season including limits on assistant coaches interacting with umpires, the addition of the PitchCom system to relay pitches/plays like MLB has added, changes to the pitching mechanic rules around airborne feet and some replay review changes.

Brady shares his thoughts on what catches his eye as the changes most likely to impact the sport people going forward.

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FSU’s defense elevating its play is essential to Florida State's College Football Playoff hopes Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

The Florida State Seminoles are less than three weeks from the opener against the LSU Tigers in Orlando.

With the season drawing near, the Seminole Wrap crew — Brian Pellerin, Jon Marchant and Ben Meyerson — flip to the defensive side of the ball and preview the crew looking to shut down opposing offenses.

2022 Ranks for FSU

Last year, the defense was 20th in scoring defense (allowing 20.6 points per game), 15th in total defense (allowing 321 yards per game), 75th in rushing defense (allowing 156.38 yards per game) and 4th in passing defense (allowing 165.4 yards per game).

PFF had the Seminoles graded out as the No. 29 overall defense in the country (87.1), No. 30 rush defense (84.9), No. 39 tackle grade (71.5), No. 36 pass rush grade (81.4), and No. 54 coverage grade (78).

2023 Areas for Improvement

The defense was a solid unit for 2023 that produced in nearly every game, but they do have some areas to grow next season.

Turnovers

One spot the pod crew is looking for is the turnovers. While there’s a good deal of luck intertwined with getting turnovers, aggressive style and heads-up play can make a difference in gaining that extra edge. The defense has plenty of room to grow in the area after 2022 — can they turn that luck around for this season?

Slowing the run

The passing offense was one of the best in the country, but teams were certainly able to run the ball on them. Those games were largely when Fabian Lovett was off the field with injuries. Lovett is back and they’ve added to the DT group through the portal.

Is that enough to fix the rushing issue?

The trio dive in deeper on the latest episode of the Seminole Wrap — listen below, as well as on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to your shows.

Position Previews

The crew will go front to back looking at depth, talent and more for each unit.

Follow along with our team’s position preview articles as well.

2023 Florida State football schedule

Sunday, September 3: LSU Tigers (Orlando)

Saturday, September 9: Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Saturday, September 16: at Boston College Eagles

Saturday, September 23: at Clemson Tigers

Saturday, September 30: BYE

Saturday, October 7: Virginia Tech Hokies

Saturday, October 14: Syracuse Orange

Saturday, October 21: Duke Blue Devils

Saturday, October 28: at Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Saturday, November 4: at Pittsburgh Panthers

Saturday, November 11: Miami Hurricanes

Saturday, November 18: North Alabama Lions

Saturday, November 25: at Florida Gators

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FSU football: Florida State coaches interviews after Seminoles’ first scrimmage: Head coach Mike Norvell, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach John Papuchis Aug 14, 2023

Show notes

After spending the early part of the practice week in Jacksonville, the Florida State Seminoles made their way back to Tallahassee to take part in the team’s first fall scrimmage.

With the start of the season now less than three weeks away, FSU is starting to up the intensity with an elevated sense of urgency ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the LSU Tigers.

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FSU football: Mike Norvell talks fifth day of Florida State Seminoles football practice, Darrell Jackson eligibility ruling by NCAA Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

Florida State is now five days into its fall camp prep, knocking out its penultimate practice before a trip to Jacksonville for a series of practices on the University of North Florida campus.

“Tomorrow will be a little bit lesser, since we have a big stretch this week going to Jacksonville,” head coach Mike Norvell said on Tuesday. “It’s kind of our getaway during camp — [that still features] two pretty intense practices.”

FSU has taken the trip down to Jacksonville for the last two years, a tradition that’s emerged under Norvell in an effort to break up the grind of camp as well as get a little bit of road prep ahead of the season, allowing the team to get their first feel of the year for hitting the road but maintaining mentalities.

The Seminoles are still in the early days of camp, having just thrown on full pads on Saturday, but the pressure is already on for FSU to continue its upward trajectory as it looks to achieve some of the lofty expectations being placed on the squad ahead of the season.

Norvell has been impressed with the effort from his team so far — while he noted there were a few mishaps on special teams and a couple of areas that still need refining, the intensity and energy is exactly in line with what he’s looking for.

“The depth, the quality of newcomers is something I’m really excited about — seeing those guys maximize opportunities that they’re getting. We’ve got a lot of competition, this is going to be good for us in the long run.”

Norvell also shared that the NCAA has denied an eligibility waiver for Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Darrell Jackson Jr.

In March, the organization updated its waiver parameters to try and curb the trend of players undergoing multiple transfers during their collegiate careers:

In all sports, four-year undergraduate student athletes who decide to transfer to a new NCAA school can generally be eligible to compete for the new school provided that they have not previously transferred and notify their current school by entering the NCAA Transfer Portal during their sport-specific transfer window.

Jackson, who began his career with the Maryland Terrapins, transferred to Florida State this offseason in an effort to be closer to his mother who is dealing with health issues.

“She thinks it’s her fault, but it’s not,” Jackson said on Tuesday. “I’m going to continue to be there for my mom and see how things play out.”

He also claimed that the NCAA did not provide an explanation for the denial of his waiver, saying “I don’t know if they’re trying to prove a point or what?”

“I thought that [his reason for transferring] was shown and presented, but ultimately the NCAA, they have a choice of what they’re going to do and the decision that they made,” Norvell said.

“It’s sad that he’s gonna miss games....obviously, he’s hurt.”

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