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'Built by Storms': How the strength and conditioning coach has transformed FSU football
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- 'Built by Storms': How the strength and conditioning coach has transformed FSU football
A chant broke out in the visiting locker room at Memorial Stadium in Clemson , South Carolina on Sept. 23.
"Built by Storms."
No, the Florida State football players were not chanting about the tropical systems that seemed to follow them for the first month of the college season.
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Rather, they chanted the phrase in praise of their strength and conditioning coach Josh Storms, as head coach Mike Norvell congratulated his team in the post-game pep talk about the program-defining 31-24 victory over ACC giant Clemson.
The victory was another example of how Storms has helped Norvell rebuild the Seminoles back into a national powerhouse.
"It's fun because I hear the players in the locker room talking about him," Norvell told the media following the win about Storms. "The way he works them, they don't always like it at the moment. But you see the confidence they have when we step out in those challenging moments.
"I am just grateful for Josh and his strength staff. We have a great staff that's with him. Those guys are helping elevate our program."
FSU strength and conditioning coach Josh Storms at the first practice of spring football on March 7, 2020.
The No. 5 Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 ACC) look to keep their perfect season alive when they square off against Virginia Tech (2-3, 1-0) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium (Broadcast: ABC).
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While the players were excited about their strength and conditioning coach following the win, Storms gave the credit back to the players and to Norvell and his staff.
"You have a group of guys that does a great job of trusting in the plan for the program," Storms told the Democrat. "Their execution of that you see pay off in those situations and then some of that is attributed to coaches making great adjustments at halftime and putting our guys in the best situation to be successful tactically and physically, as well."
More: Thoughts on Clemson win, Virginia Tech predictions from Kassim, Williams | Seminole Script
Earning the respect of the players
As Norvell alluded to, it's not always easy for the players to understand in the moment of the drills Storms puts them through why they are doing something.
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The players understand when they see the results, as they did following the Clemson win when they celebrated being ready to play four quarters and an overtime session to pull off the victory.
"Coach Storms is a special man," FSU offensive lineman D'Mitri Emmanue l told the Democrat. "He works incredibly hard, along with his staff. Some of the things he's been able to do and teach me since I've been here have been great.
"You can see some of the size we have out on the field and how fast guys are running. All that is not my mistake. Everything's by design because he works extremely hard on creating plans and making sure everything's down to the tee. Coach Storms is a good mentor, he's a great coach."
Winning the fourth quarter
The Seminoles trailed then-No. 5 LSU 17-14 at halftime in the season opener on Sept. 3. A switch was flipped in the second half, with FSU scoring 31 unanswered points to build up the blowout victory over the Tigers before a late garbage time score.
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In the second half of games, the Seminoles have outscored their opponents 97-43, with 19 of those points coming in one single disappointing performance against Boston College on the road.
"It's a cultural thing a mindset thing, something that we preach a lot and they're their competence to go out there and execute in those moments late games is built through the work that they've put in and invested since January through the winter program and spring ball, to the summer programs and camp all those things," Storms said.
"It calculates from all that work allows them to go out of situations and not be scared to cut it loose and not be scared to pour it all out on the field."
After surrendering 17 points in the first half to Clemson on Sept. 23, the Seminoles scored as many points on defense in the second half - seven - as they allowed, to send the game to overtime and eventually seal the victory.
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Norvell credits that to Storms preparing the team throughout the spring and fall camps for the late-game heroics and endurance to end the 10-year losing streak in Death Valley.
"This is what you're built for," Norvell told the media of the message he conveyed to his team following the Clemson win. "That's why we train the way we train. That's why we push to the standard we push to. You might not play your best, but you're going to be ready at the moment to rise up and make the plays that are necessary."
What fans and the media see in games is a culmination of work from the team since the beginning of January, when teams start prepping for the next season after bowl season.
Into spring practices, the summer and the fall, players spend more time around Storms than they do with Norvell, the coordinators or position coaches.
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The "Tour of Duty" is part of the winter program, a chance for returners and newcomers to work out with Storms and build up for spring practices.
"In practice, a lot of the things we're going to try and do is what seems to be an unreasonable or unrealistic tempo of play," Storms said. "So that when guys do get in the game, what is considered to be a very fast football game on Saturday, that's still a slower experience and what they're used to training for throughout the week and throughout the year.
"It helps those guys and your comfort and communication when that game slows down on Saturday."
Building a foundation with head coach Mike Norvell
Storms joined the staff at Arizona State University in 2005. In 2012, the Sun Devils hired a 31-year-old offensive coordinator in Norvell. The two have worked together since then, including Norvell's four-year head coaching stint at Memphis (2016-19) and now the four years together at FSU (2020-).
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"You see the toughness, you see strength, you see guys who can go out there for 60-plus minutes and continue to fight and battle," Norvell said. "Josh and I have been together for a long time. Who he is, what he's about, there can be no closer tie than what he and I have."
In 2018, Storms earned the "Master Strength and Conditioning Coach" distinction from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, an honor given to the highest given in the strength and conditioning coaching profession.
Storms graduated from the University of South Dakota (2001), where he played tight end and completed his master's degree at Arizona State in 2006. He spent a season as a seasonal assistant strength coach with the Minnesota Vikings in 2001.
He was named the director of strength and conditioning on Dec. 28, 2019, the same month Norvell was named the 11th head coach for FSU football.
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"That's a huge deal for me," Storms said of working with Norvell for over a decade. "After a decade with Coach, I know what practices look like. I know what work it's going to take when we go out and practice.
"... In the summertime, I'm helping those guys get ready for camp because I know how hard those camps are going to be and we get those guys ready for the rigors of camp. Camp basically is what puts the icing on the cake to build that level of conditioning to that level of work capacity that carries into the season."
More: From Australia to Tallahassee, FSU punter Alex Mastromanno is making a difference
Talking with NFL scouts
FSU practices are open to the media on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the entirety of the practice. During the practices, it is often observed there are multiple scouts in attendance.
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The scouts usually straddle the sideline, keeping an eye on the prospects they were assigned to look at, keeping tight notes in their notebooks.
With several draft prospects on the Seminoles this season, the scouts have a high interest for potential fits for the teams they work for.
One such scout in attendance this season was former Miami Dolphin GM and current New Orleans Saint assistant general manager & college scouting director Jeff Ireland.
No matter who the scout is, they often turn to one person for a debriefing following the viewing to truly get a glimpse into the person the player is. That is Storms.
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"With the scouts, those guys do their homework to an incredible degree. And the questions you think they would ask the strength coach are not usually the question they're asking the strength coach," Storms said of the post-practice debriefings.
"It's not very often I get asked, 'What's he run on a 40, or how strong is someone?' They want to know the character stuff. They want to know what a guy's mental makeup is. Is he a leader? Is he trustworthy? Is he dependable? Does he love football?
"Because I see those guys a little bit different light than even then the position coach or head coach does, just because of the nature of the role. And so they want to find out those questions and what those guys are truly [like], where they're where their compass lies."
GAME INFORMATION
Who: No. 5 FSU (4-0, 2-0 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (2-3, 1-0)
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When/where: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; Doak Campbell Stadium
TV/Radio: ABC/94.9 FM
Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @Ehsan_Kassim, @jackgwilliams and @JimHenryTALLY on X, formerly Twitter
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports) .
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Josh Storms building strength and conditioning program
