Game week has officially arrived for Florida State football.
FSU's preparation for its trip to Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic against Georgia Tech has gone well. However, coach Mike Norvell announced his plan Sunday for the absence of one of his top assistant coaches.
Alex Atkins, the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, will not be on the sidelines for the Seminoles as he is serving a suspension due to NCAA violations.
Earlier this year, the NCAA sanctioned the program for recruiting violations that occurred in the spring of 2022. Among the penalties were a three-game suspension and two-year show cause for Atkins.
Norvell addressed it when asked about being without Atkins.
"Alex has done a wonderful job and continues to do a great job and helping prepare our players and all things," Norvell said during his Sunday press conference.
Senior analyst Gabe Fertitta, who has been on Norvell's staff since 2022, will take over Atkin's role while he serves his suspension. Before he was at FSU, Fertitta served as a quality control assistant at the University of Louisville.
He has also been the head coach at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and St. Stanislaus on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi for three seasons.
His offensive coordinator experience came in junior college, where he coached Itawamba Community College. Norvell believes that Fertitta will hold down the fort during Atkins' absence.
"I have confidence in him and what he brings, and it is what he has brought to our program over the last few years," Norvell said. "And it's going to be as smooth of a transition as we can have it there on game day."
Norvell and FSU have been preparing for the Ireland trip for almost a year and a half.
He is excited about traveling to overseas and looking forward to seeing some FSU fans repping the garnet and gold upon his arrival. College Gameday will be live in Dublin, covering the FSU-GT game.
"It's definitely a tremendous honor," Norvell said.
"Having game day there, we got a tremendous history and past with game day. You'll be in the first on-campus show and now, their first international show. It's definitely a wonderful platform for our guys, who have worked hard for and earned what they've been able to do and accomplish.
Georgia Tech went 7-6 (5-3) in Brent Key's first season.
Norvell talked about how explosive and experienced the Yellow Jackets are. He then praised Key and his coaching staff for building their program as the Yellow Jackets continue to be on the rise in the ACC.
"I think Coach (Brent) Key have done a wonderful job," Norvell said
"The coaching staff really done a great job of being able to build the confidence and showcase the skills and abilities of some very talented player throughout last year, and you see the potential that they have as they're continuing on their asset."
It is also worth noting that Georgia Tech has former FSU quarterback Chris Weinke on Key's staff as an assistant coach, co-offensive coordinator, and quarterback coach.
Date: Saturday, August 24
Time: Noon ET
Where: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+ ($10.99 per month), WatchESPN and the ESPN app (TV provider subscription needed), fuboTV (7-day free trial ), YouTube TV (2-week free trial), Hulu + Live TV (7-day free trial)
Aug. 24 vs. Georgia Tech *Dublin, Ireland at noon., ESPN
Sept. 2 vs. Boston College at 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Sept. 14 vs. Memphis
Sept. 21 vs. California
Sept. 28 at SMU
Oct. 5 vs. Clemson
Oct. 18 at Duke
Oct. 26 at (U) Miami
Nov. 2 vs. North Carolina
Nov. 9 at Notre Dame
Nov. 23 vs. Charleston Southern
Nov. 30: Florida
Dec. 7:ACC Championship
BOLD = ACC
* = Neutral Site
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Mike Norvell's takeaways of FSU football's upcoming season
