Count Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher among the big winners as the college football season ended.
The Seminoles finished No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll Tuesday, earning Fisher another $50,000 bonus. FSU moved up three spots to secure its first top 10 ranking since placing fifth after the 2000 season. FSU was No. 13 before defeating Northern Illinois 31-10 in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1.
The Seminoles (12-2) finished No. 8 in the coaches poll. FSU was one spot behind Florida (11-2) in the AP poll and two spots better than the Gators according to the coaches. Florida lost 33-23 to Louisville in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2.
Fisher can thank rival Clemson for the bonus. The Tigers’ victory over LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl dropped LSU from No. 9 to No. 14, helping FSU secure the top 10 finish. The Seminoles also passed Oklahoma (No. 12 to 15) and Kansas State (No. 7 to 12) after their bowl losses.
Fisher, who has a base salary of $2.75 million, has reached four bonuses totaling $200,000 for this season — $50,000 each for winning the ACC Atlantic Division, winning the ACC title, playing in a BCS bowl and finishing in the top 10.
Coaching carousel: Multiple media outlets reported that Florida State linebackers coach Greg Hudson will become the defensive coordinator at Purdue, meaning the Seminoles have lost five assistants since the end of the regular season.
Fisher moved quickly to fill one of the openings as Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson confirmed his interim defensive coordinator, Charles Kelly, is leaving for FSU. Kelly is expected to coach the linebackers and serve as special teams coordinator.
Fisher also is making a play for Alabama associate head coach/running backs coach Burton Burns. According to Warchant.com, Burns has agreed to join the Seminoles’ staff and now must work out a contract. Burns made a base salary of $290,000 this season with bonuses that could reach $58,000.
Burns coached an Alabama running game that was 16th nationally with 227.5 yards per game and totaled 265 yards in the Tide’s BCS Championship Game rout of Notre Dame.
If Burns is hired, Fisher would then have to add one more offensive assistant.
Hudson joins three other assistants who left to become coordinators and Mark Stoops, who took the head coaching job at Kentucky.
Watson leaving early: Seminoles offensive tackle Menelik Watson will skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Watson, 6-feet-6, 320 pounds, played one year at FSU after transferring from Saddleback (JC) in California. He has played just 20 games since coming to the United States from Manchester, England, including 12 at FSU.
Watson is the third FSU player to leave early, joining defensive end Bjoern Werner and cornerback Xavier Rhodes.
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