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Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Florida State a lot like Alabama
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tallahassee, Fla.-Our preseason tour continues at Florida State where Jimbo Fisher is the head coach in waiting for Bobby Bowden, Division I-A football’s all-time winner.
Later this summer we will do a Q&A with Fisher as he walks us through what the season will be like for him and for Bowden. But on Tuesday I spent time hanging around the football offices trying to pick up some nuggets about the Seminoles, who have gone 7-6 the past two seasons. Here are a few:
1. Florida State, Alabama programs are similar: Florida State’s success has tailed off the last three season (8-5, 7-6, 7-6) for one reason only. The Seminoles’ simply don’t have as many great football players as they did during the great run of 1987-2000 when they finished in the top five of the polls for 14 straight seasons.
Why did recruiting drop off? There are a lot of reasons but here’s two: Georgia’s program was elevated under Mark Richt (who came in 2001) and LSU’s program began locking down the best players in that state when Nick Saban got there about the same time. Before that Florida State would routinely go into Georgia (Charlie Ward) and Louisiana (Warrick Dunn) to cherry pick great players.
Like Alabama, Florida State is convinced that this incoming recruiting class will be the foundation for the resurgence of the program. This season will be spent trying to blend these talented, young players with the veteran players.
“We could be wrong. But if we evaluated these players properly, they will be talented enough to push a lot of our older guys,” Fisher said. “We think that’s a good thing.”
2. The first three games will be interesting: Florida State will be without seven starters in the first three games (Western Carolina, Chattanooga, Wake Forest) because of the academic cheating scandal that was revealed last December. The coaching staff has a dilemma. You have to get the new guys ready to play the first three games but you also have to the get suspended guys ready for the rest of the season after they come back.
So the question is: How do you practice? Who gets the most reps?
Fisher and defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews have a plan.
“We’re going to put the suspended guys in their regular spots for the first 3-4 days of practice,” Fisher said. “We will get them settled. Then we will move them back and bring in the young guys in order to get them ready for the game. And we’re going to ask the guys who can’t play to help us coach the new guys. If it works like we hope, we’ll get to the fourth game with some proven depth.”
But Andrews, in his 25th year as defensive coordinator, adds this: “We may have some suspended guys who won’t be starters when they come back. Some of these young guys are pretty good.”
3. Three JUCOs will make an immediate impact: Defensive end Markus White was the national junior college defensive player of the year and led the country in sacks (26). He will team with Everette Brown at the other end to give Florida State the kind of players off the edge that the Seminoles have been lacking the past few seasons.
“Markus just came to us this summer but we think he has a chance to be outstanding,” Andrews told me.
One of the things Fisher wants to do is sign bigger, more durable backs for Florida State like the ones he had at LSU. Antone Smith (5-9, 188) is still the starting tailback but he will be pushed by JUCO transfer Tavares Pressley (6-1, 215). Pressley averaged less than 10 carries a game at El Camino (Calif.) Community College but ran for 832 yards.
Wide receiver Corey Surrency is big (6-5, 210) was recruited by LSU and West Virginia.
“We expect all of the JUCOs to have an immediate impact,” Fisher said.
4. Florida State will be stronger and better-conditioned: One of the problems Florida State has had during its recent slide was an overall lack of physical conditioning. No one will say this out loud, but I have always believed that the death of Devaughn Darling in 2001 had a psychological affect on this program. Darling, just 18, collapsed and died during off-season conditioning drills in March.
Todd Stroud, a former Seminole football player, came here in 2007 to take over the strength and conditioning program. He has now had time to put his program in place and start getting results.
The off-season conditioning program is vital to the success of a football team in the fall. The conditioning coach has to be willing to push players, but be smart about it, in order for them to improve. It’s not easy, but it is very important.
“It’s made all the difference in the world,” Fisher said of the off-season program. “Our guys are much stronger.”
5. Keep your eye on Christian Ponder at quarterback: Senior Drew Weatherford has started 33 games at quarterback for Florida State and deserves to be the starter when the season begins. But don’t be surprised if red-shirt sophomore Christian Ponder makes an impact pretty early in this season.
“Drew has done a good job for us but so has Christian,” Fisher said. “He is now mentally ready to play.”
How smart is Ponder? He graduated from high school early and enrolled at Florida State in January of 2006. He will graduate this week (in less than three years) and start pursuing his Master’s degree this fall.
Weatherford will also be pushed by D’Vontrey Richarson, a red-shirt sophomore from Leesburg, and true freshman E.J. Manuel from Virginia Beach. Manuel, Fisher told me, will get his reps in preseason practice and get a chance to compete for the job.
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