FSU football: 5 storylines worth watching in the second half of the season

Being part of a losing season sucks — and for Florida State, that feeling has become all too familiar over the last five years.

Some fans have tried to use the bye week to recover from any investment in this season – but let’s be honest. When February is around the corner and you’re missing football, everyone’s favorite thing to do is watch Florida State pull off another outrageous turnover.

With hopes of a continuation of last year’s run dashed since September, the question is, what could you invest in at this point to keep things going from week to week?

I’m glad you asked.

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FSU football: 5 storylines worth watching in the second half of the season

Brock Glenn’s Progress

Brock Glenn’s start last week made writing this article much easier, but after leaving it all on the field against Clemson, Glenn could be the catalyst that moves Florida State forward. Players are willing to fight for him more than DJ Uiagalelei, as evidenced by their responses after Saturday’s game, and Glenn, who had to gain a first down on a two-point play as time expired, showed off in one Play as hard as anyone all year round. If he continues to progress as a passer and eliminate game-changing mistakes/turnovers, he could be a reason for optimism heading into 2025 and make recruits or transfers want to come to Tallahassee. Norvell continues to float the idea of ​​signing Luke Kromenhoek, but if Glenn continues to grow every week, hopefully the head coach won’t reconsider.

Watching freshmen/young guys blossom

Aside from Glenn, the second half of the season will be an audition for many underclassmen to see where they stand for the 2025 season. On the offensive side of the ball, if Andre’ Otto and Jaylen Early continue to receive playing time, Norvell can be confident with 2/5 of its offensive line heading into the offseason while Maurice Smith, Darius Washington and Jeremiah Byers exhaust their eligibility. The same goes for the pass catchers. If Hykeem Williams can emerge as the No. 1 tight end alongside Landen Thomas and Amaree Williams, the Seminoles could launch a revamped passing attack by 2025.

Defensively, the core four of Omar Graham, Blake Nichelson, Justin Cryer and hopefully a healthy Shawn Murphy will get plenty of opportunities with DJ Lundy out for the season. Teams have relied on the LB corps in the first six games of the season, but if they are confident of being in the middle of the field, they should also switch to a rebound back unit from Adam Fuller’s side of the field next season Balls contribute.

Finally, no group on the team may be more exciting than the young defensive backs. Hopefully, as the year progresses, Fuller will provide more support to Edwin Joseph, Quindarrius Jones and Ja’Bril Rawls, along with KJ Kirkland and Conrad Hussey in the background so they can play meaningful snaps together and work out their communications.

There are numerous players I could list here who deserve it and might want playing time down the road, but the end of this season will lay the foundation for 2025.

Rivalry games

Norvell mentioned last year that nine of the previous 14 games against Miami were decided by one possession. Many Hurricane teams throughout history have ruined great FSU seasons because of this game, and vice versa. While Miami may be ranked 6th right now, this rivalry would be it for the Seminoles to at least make it a game.

The same goes for the Florida game, although the stakes will be much lower. Still, a Florida State win could be the nail in Billy Napier’s coffin and mark the first time since 2015 that the Seminoles have taken three straight games from their SEC rival. When you play a matchup on the road to Notre Dame in a historic setting, these three games will always draw attention and attention, even in slack seasons.

Decisions made by the coaching staff

The good/bad part of the transfer portal is that the players’ contracts are only season-to-season, and the Seminoles are locked into ridiculous five-year contracts in other sports. However, they are tied to the coaches’ salaries.

Although fans are concerned about Norvell’s firing in the offseason (newsflash: he won’t), many employees are on the hot seat as the team heads to the stretch.

While this is related to the previous paragraph, if Randy Shannon can get the best out of the young linebackers while Lundy is out for the season, then Norvell should have a different opinion about keeping him on his team through 2025 ? Sure, recruiting sucks, but it would also mean getting the best out of Blake Nichelson and turning unheralded players like Justin Cryer or Omar Graham Jr. into veteran contributors for next year. Fans forget that Shannon serves as co-defensive coordinator and a solid performance from the entire unit could save his job at the end of the season.

The same goes for Ron Dugans. The wide receivers, especially the veterans, struggle with drops and separation while the recruiting circles the drain at the WR position. But again, if the young guys like Elijah Moore, Hykeem Williams or Lawyne McCoy start making plays at the end of the year, Dugans would also deserve recognition.

Norvell can’t bounce back with the same team they had this season, but depending on which underclassmen thrive in the final six games, that could be the reason they stick around.

recruitment

While recruiting does not fall within the scope of the game on the field, it does arise from the direction of the program.

The Seminoles suffered greatly down the stretch as their season ended off the stretch. They lost their best edge defender, two future three-receivers and another player on the defensive side. However, the release week and the opportunity to hit the road allowed the team to stop the bleeding with two offensive linemen signings in the last week and expand its board with scholarship offers to defensive linemen and wide receivers. If FSU starts winning games at the end of the year or Glenn looks competitive in losses, the Noles could end up in a 12-game skid in 2024, which is no reason to bring the program down to the cleats. They can provide prospects with tangible results, giving them an early opportunity to compete for playing time, and the staff has sealed the leak in the boat.

In this sense, money and support are the most important assets in recruiting today. Depending on the lack of resources poured into the program, recruiting will continue to stall and reflect apathy from a fan perspective. However, sellout home crowds and FSU’s attention, even if they stink, could convince high school students to be part of the solution in 2025.