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How Mike Norvell's energy helps Florida State football recruiting
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- How Mike Norvell's energy helps Florida State football recruiting
June did wonders for Florida State football recruiting.
Five prospects recently pledged to play for the Seminoles.
FSU has nine non-binding verbal commits in the 2025 class and four in the 2026 class.
On3 has the Seminoles ranked No. 10 in national recruiting and second in the ACC.
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Recruiting is always ongoing.
But what is Mike Norvell doing right to get his guys to buy into his program, and how are the prospects taking from their visits to the FSU campus?
Here are the reasons.
Mike Norvell and his 'freaking energy' is appealing to recruits
Norvell wakes up full of energy.
Before the start of practice, he challenges his players to a 100-yard foot race. He is always moving around and will yell just for fun.
He will say good morning in the middle of the evening.
That's just of glimpse of what it's like being around Norvell, according to players and recruits. It's difficult to turn away from playing with a head coach who can match anyone's energy on the field.
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"That man has some freaking energy," 5-star offensive tackle Josh Petty said.
"We need to bottle it up, shake it up, give it out to people on the street because he's got something going with him and gets people fired up."
Petty, the No. 2 rated tackle who is considering FSU, was wowed by Norvell's energy and how he runs his program. Norvell consistently treats players as his own and looks out for them.
"I can tell that the guys are really bought into what he's doing," Petty said. "That's one thing I took away for sure, that the guys care for him and the guys are really trusting and fluent in his program and want him to lead them."
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FSU coaching staff sees Mike Norvell's vision
FSU defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins during the Seminoles' fourth spring football practice on Friday, March 11, 2022.
Norvell's coaching staff has done its part to attract prospects, too.
Cocoa defensive end and FSU commit Javion Hilson saw that energy firsthand when Norvell and Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller recruited him.
"I love the coaches," Hilson said.
"You don't really see a head coach that is hype like that at other universities — screaming early in the morning."
Some of the coaches are like father figures.
Defensive line coach Odell Haggins is a prime example.
Haggins, in his 31st season at FSU and the longest-tenured coach at one program in the country, played a part in recruiting two blue-chip defensive tackles, Myron Charles (No. 25) and Kevin Wynn (No. 8) to beef up FSU's four-man front.
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"He's truly like another dad," Charles said. "He's going to be there for us. He's been recruiting me for a while, so I've just had a close relationship with him. I trust him."
Obviously, each coach brings a different personality when communicating with a prospect. But the shared vision remains the same.
5-star offensive lineman Solomon Thomas (No. 1) spoke about what to expect from FSU and what the program offers to table under Norvell. Thomas has been committed to FSU since Dec. 22
"It's the best of both worlds, work and play," Thomas said.
"It's a college town. You're going to get pushed every day. Nothing easy is going to come out of this. At the end of it, we're going to come out stronger."
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FSU football needs to attract more linebackers
FSU has been hitting hard in each position and, for the most part, has succeeded.
However, the linebacker position is starting to raise some concerns.
Ethan Pritchard (No. 45) from Sanford, Florida, is the lone verbal commitment at linebacker.
Other linebackers the Seminoles have been targeting have been a swing and a miss.
According to 247 Sports, FSU has offered 27 linebackers. Thus far, 22 have selected other schools. FSU struck out three blue-chip backers in less than 24 hours.
Gavin Nix ( No. 11) from the IMG Academy chose Miami. Zaydrius Rainey-Sale (No.14), a 4-star LB from Spanaway, Washington, chose to stay close to home and commit to the Washington Huskies on the same day.
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On Tuesday, Tavion Wallace , the No. 3 LB nationally according to 247 Sports, made a shocking decision to verbally select Arkansas over FSU and Georgia.
Linebackers coach Randy Shannon , who recruited all three prospects who chose other schools, must reset and make a hard pitch to the remaining prospects who are still weighing their options.
FSU recruiting commits in Class of 2025
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5-star, Solomon Thomas , offensive tackle, Raines (Jacksonville, Florida)
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4-star, Myron Charles, defensive line, Port Charlotte, (Port Charlotte, Florida)
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4-star, Javion Hilson, edge rusher, Cocoa (Cocoa, Florida)
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4-star Chase Loftin, tight end, Millard North (Omaha, Nebraska)
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4-star, Gregory "Zae" Thomas, defensive back, American Heritage (Plantation, Florida)
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4-star, Kevin Wynn, defensive line, Greene County (Greensboro, Georgia)
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4-star, CJ Wiley, wide receiver, Milton (Alpharetta, Georgia)
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3-star, Tramell Jones , quarterback, Mandarin (Jacksonville, Florida)
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3-star, Ethan Pritchard, linebacker, Seminole (Sanford, Florida)
FSU recruiting commits in Class of 2026
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4-star, Brady Smigiel, quarterback, Newbury Park (Newbury Park, California)
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4-star Darryon Williams, athlete, Gaither (Tampa, Florida)
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4-star, Efrem White, wide receiver, Vero Beach (Vero Beach, Florida)
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3-star, Darryl Bell III, safety, Barbara Coleman (Hialeah, Florida)
FSU football schedule 2024
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Aug. 24 vs. Georgia Tech *Dublin, Ireland at 7:30 p.m., ESPN
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Sept. 2 vs. Boston College at 7:30 p.m., ESPN
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Sept. 14 vs. Memphis
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Sept. 21 vs. California
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Sept. 28 at SMU
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Oct. 5 vs. Clemson
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Oct. 18 at Duke
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Oct. 26 at (U) Miami
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Nov. 2 vs. North Carolina
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Nov. 9 at Notre Dame
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Nov. 23 vs. Charleston Southern
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Nov. 30: Florida
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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.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Mike Norvell's energy convinces FSU football recruits
