As his assistants started packing, one by one until just three remained from the staff that helped Florida State go 12-2 and earn a BCS bowl victory for the first time in 13 years, head coach Jimbo Fisher hit the road.
Fisher credited the quick transition his five new assistants — one opening remains — made for putting together a solid recruiting class, but he also played a role.
“It felt good, I felt like an assistant for a while, having to do all the ground work,” Fisher said. “It was good to (prove) that you can actually get it done again.”
Fisher accompanied his new coaches while they reestablished relationships and he made about a dozen home visits in the past two weeks. One of those was to Atlantic defensive tackle Keith Bryant, who was the lone Palm Beach County player to sign with FSU. Fisher said he has established several relationships in South Florida, having recruited the area for about 20 years.
Bryant said Fisher’s home visit played a big part in his decision.
Fisher credited his new staff for holding onto several recruits and even reeling in a few who were not on the Seminoles’ radar. New defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who also coaches the secondary, was primarily responsible for FSU signing five-star cornerback Jalen Ramsey of Nashville, Tenn. Ramsey backed off his commitment to USC and Pruitt went to work, capitalizing on the relationship he struck with Ramsey and his family while Pruitt was at Alabama.
“We got in on some key guys that I thought we wouldn’t get in on,” Fisher said.
Pruitt also was instrumental in getting four-star defensive end DeMarcus Walker to flip his commitment from Alabama to FSU. Walker even enrolled early.
“These guys have been around,” Fisher said of his new staff. “They know a lot of these kids from other places they were at. It’s very tough but our guys did a great job at it and we were able to bridge that gap.”
Fisher called it a “wash” as far as the recruits who were gained and those lost because of the staff turnover. Perhaps the biggest loss was four-star receiver Stacy Coley from Oakland-Park Northeast who signed with Miami.
Fisher is a micromanager who is involved in every aspect of the program. That approach perhaps is the reason FSU was able to hang onto the highest-rated player in this class, linebacker Matthew Thomas of Miami-Booker T. Washington.
James Coley was the lead recruiter for Thomas, but Coley bolted FSU for Miami less than two weeks before signing day, leading many to believe the Seminoles chances of signing Thomas had weakened while giving Miami an edge.
But Fisher was involved in the recruitment of Thomas from the start and isn’t sure if Thomas would be a Seminole if he hadn’t.
That allowed FSU to hold onto a top 10 class after losing such noted recruiters as Coley, Mark Stoops (head coach at Kentucky) and Eddie Gran (offensive coordinator at Cincinnati).
“It’s about relationships, it’s about trust,” Pruitt said. “What Lawrence (Dawsey), Odell (Haggins), Rick (Trickett) and Jimbo have done for the last three weeks is unbelievable. The rest of us just followed their lead.”
Dawsey, Haggins and Trickett are the lone remaining assistants from last season’s staff.
Fisher is seeking an offensive coordinator/quarterback coach to replace Coley and has spent about two months interviewing candidates and has one more round. The new coach, though, will not have the responsibility of calling plays, something Fisher always has handled.
Since mid-December, Fisher has hired Pruitt, Sal Sunseri (defensive ends), Randy Sanders (running backs), Billy Napier (tight ends, recruiting coordinator) and Charles Kelly (linebackers, special teams).
“You got a lot of guys who understand the philosophies I have and our organization,” Fisher said. “I thought that was very key in how I hired guys. We’ve been in a lot of the same systems and have the same beliefs. That helped the transition very much.”
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