How Florida State is seeing significant dividends under Mike Norvell on the recruiting trail

As Florida State gears up for what could be a historic 2023 season on the football field, Mike Norvell is putting in serious work on the recruiting trail.

The Seminoles were in the top 10 of the team recruiting rankings recently, bumped on by the in-state rival Gators landing another commitment on Wednesday. But Florida State’s recruiting speaks for itself right now.

“They’re starting to see some real dividends on the recruiting trail,” On3’s JD PicKell said. “Last I checked they had a top 10 class in the 2024 cycle. And this is significant because what have we seen from Florida State the last couple years, and Mike Norvell? They built to the success they had last year, yes, but the thing with Florida State is they weren’t necessarily crushing it on the recruiting trail. They were going to the portal.”

Now, Florida State seems to be enjoying success both in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail.

It marks a shift in where Norvell has the program, from the early days of the rebuild to now, when the program is a bit more stable and the foundation has been set.

“For Florida State they were able to pitch playing time,” PicKell said. “Like when Mike Norvell took this thing over in Tallahassee he looked at his roster and he’s like, ‘Look, if we want to win soon we’ve got to go get some players that can help us now.’ And they’ve done that, clearly. You saw what they did last year and what they’re looking to do this coming season.

“Florida State’s built up to this now. And so the reason why I think they’re starting to see some dividends is they’ve had success on the field now to where they can go pitch that on the recruiting trail.”

With quarterback Jordan Travis back and a handful of offensive weapons at his disposal, Florida State could make the recruiting pitch even sweeter come Saturdays in the fall.

The Seminoles could very well be a College Football Playoff contender, and they’ll be featured in some big games, including a season opener against LSU.

All of that points to continued momentum on the recruiting trail.

“There’s a lot of talent to grab within the Sunshine State,” PicKell said. “And last year they had the No. 19 class, the year before that they had the No. 24 ranked class, before that the No. 18 ranked class. Right now they’re in the top 10 and I wholeheartedly believe that is a dividend they’re seeing from what they did on the field a season ago.

“So Florida State now, if they start recruiting some of that top talent, if they take over the state of Florida, it’s going to be problems for the rest of the country.”