Mike Norvell reveals key to low bust rate on incoming transfers
The NCAA transfer portal has changed the way college coaches construct their rosters and few have adapted better to this change than Florida State coach Mike Norvell.
Norvell has masterfully crafted some really talented rosters in the last couple years. Most impressively, his bust rate on transfers is exceptionally low.
So how does he do it?
“We have a pretty good sense of the why. Why is this young man the right fit for us?” Mike Norvell said in Tampa on a speaking tour stop this spring. “As we go through the accelerated recruiting process, just knowing that these guys know what to expect when they walk in the door. I think there’s a lot of confidence on both ends.”
The examples of Florida State’s success in the transfer portal are numerous. Last year’s top two wideouts — Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson — both came from the transfer portal. So too did two of the top defensive linemen: Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.
Get enough high-level production from transfers and the home-grown talent can do the rest.
Norvell explained one of the keys is making sure your evaluations are on point.
“I think a little bit of knowing what we’re looking for,” Mike Norvell said. “It kind of goes back to we’re trying to build a team. We want to be able to make sure that if there is a need in an area or there’s someone that can come in and make our football team better, and if it’s coming from a transfer, you have to be right. You better danged sure have a great sense of confidence in it.”
So far, so good for Norvell and company.
The team went 13-0 last year and will be hungrier than ever this season after being snubbed from the College Football Playoffs. Transfers once again figure to have a big impact in 2024.
That’s, in part, because Norvell also tends to target transfers with multiple years in the tank. They’re able to assimilate into the culture of the program a bit better than one-year rentals.
“There’s been so many transfers we’ve brought in that have multiple years,” Mike Norvell said. “And it’s something I’ve really enjoyed watching, because these guys that have come in, yes, most of them have made a big impact in Year 1, but then you still see that steady growth in Year 2. That’s where it’s fun to watch that on my end.”