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A cryptic tweet, call with Mike Norvell and Jared Verse: Why Fabien Lovett returned to FSU football
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- A cryptic tweet, call with Mike Norvell and Jared Verse: Why Fabien Lovett returned to FSU football
A cryptic tweet and a phone call.
Those were the seeds for the return of defensive tackle Fabien Lovett to Florida State for another football season.
Following quarterback Jordan Travis' tweet that he would be returning to the Seminoles for his final year of eligibility, Lovett fired off a tweet of his own on Dec. 5.
The tweet, though not malicious in nature, drew the scrutiny of head coach Mike Norvell.
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"Fabien put out a tweet with a thinking emoji and I called him to tell him to 'stop messing with these people,'" Norvell joked. "He just started laughing."
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The next day, Norvell said he decided to give Lovett another call and see if he was serious about a potential return.
Once the conversations got going, the possibility grew.
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"'Hey if this is something you really want to consider, let's talk about it,'" Norvell said about the phone conversation.
"We went through our process. He had some really good options and potential things he could do, but he believes in the same things Jared (Verse) does. He believes in this team, he believes in this program. Obviously the guys he gets to do it with, but then also the opportunity to continue to develop and be the best him."
Lovett, who also considered leaving following the 2021 season, has a son, Fabien Jr., who is in consideration when Lovett thinks about his future.
After thinking it over, he decided he was not done with Florida State, yet. Lovett will enter his sixth college football season. He began his career at Mississippi State in 2018 but transferred to the Seminoles ahead of the 2020 season.
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He announced his intent to return for the 2023 season on New Year's Day .
"Honestly, I didn't feel like I finished here good enough," Lovett said. "I missed six games. Florida State is a legendary school, and I want to be remembered as a legend. That's my whole reason for coming back."
Verse, who announced he was coming back to FSU on Jan. 7, played a large role in getting Lovett to return.
"He had already decided he was coming back, but he hadn't told anyone," Lovett said. "But he was the biggest one in my ear, telling me, 'if you come back, I'm coming back.
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"We play good beside each other and we all play well and help each other out at the end."
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The injury
Lovett suffered a lower leg injury during the LSU game in Week 1 and required surgery. He would return against Georgia Tech in Week 9, coinciding with FSU winning six straight games to close out the season.
Despite missing six games, including the Cheez-It Bowl vs. Oklahoma in December, Lovett earned honorable mention as an All-ACC defensive tackle.
"It was very unfortunate last year that he missed some of that time," Norvell said. "It was a very similar situation with him and Jared. He was impactful when he played, but there were a lot of times he was limited in practice, in the things he could do.
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In six games, Lovett recorded 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. FSU lost all three games last season − against NC State, Wake Forest and Clemson − with Lovett sidelined.
"I felt like it was just giving what I could," Lovett said. "I was so eager to play and ready to play. But at the end of the day, it's going to be 100% this year."
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Leaving a legacy
Now back for another season, Lovett is focused on two things: helping FSU win and helping develop the younger guys behind him.
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"Honestly, it's about me wanting to leave a legacy here and having the young guys saying, 'yeah, Fabien was a guy that helped me out, helped me get started and come along.' That's my role in being an older guy, that's a role I take on with being an older guy," Lovett said.
"If they play good, it helps make my job easier also."
Lovett knows FSU has high expectations this season coming off the 25th 10-win season in program history and the first since 2016.
"Winning. Winning," Lovett said of what the expectations are this season.
"Well, we won last year, but we're going for bigger things. We're not looking at that right now, but honestly, just winning and being a good guy, a good teammate, and finishing a whole season out with my team regardless of the record."
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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: A cryptic tweet, call with Mike Norvell and Jared Verse helped Fabien Lovett return
