JD PicKell sees Florida State's stock rising ahead of 2024 season

Entering the 2024 season, On3’s JD PicKell has listed his top 10 going into the season and Florida State finds itself firmly in the mix at No. 9.

That’s a better ranking than back in the spring, which is a testament to the work coach Mike Norvell has done in rebuilding the roster through the transfer portal, among other avenues.

“This is one of the teams that really was a big riser for us when it comes to our post-spring rankings to our pre-Week 0 rankings,” PicKell said. “I’ve got Florida State at nine. And the best way to describe this as to why I have them at nine and why I had them outside the top 10, I believe, post-spring: I trust Mike Norvell.

“And everything you hear over at Warchant, everything you hear about this Florida State team is is it as settled as last year, where you have the No. 1 returning production in all of college football, you’ve got a guy at quarterback in Jordan Travis who’s been there for a minute? No, it’s not as settled, but I do feel it’s every bit as talented. They feel the exact same way internally at Florida State. It will look different.”

That much is a given. Florida State moves on from Heisman Trophy contender Jordan Travis at quarterback. He single-handedly pulled the Seminoles along to some big wins last year.

Instead, the offense will turn the keys over to former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uigalelei.

“It will look different, especially on offense,” PicKell said. “Last year Florida State was 50-50 run to pass, like a perfect ratio. That’s not going to be the case this year. This year it is going to be run the football, let those big offensive linemen up front make it happen for you. Let that stable of backs led by Roydell Williams eat and eat greedy.

“Then when you want to cheat, you want to add someone else in to try and stop the run… DJU, take money on the table. Cash in when they try and cheat, put their hand in the cookie jar, make them pay. Also I’ll say this: DJU and his legs could factor in when it comes to Florida State and how they stack up in 2024, especially red zone, short yardage, all those kinds of things.”

Still, even if the offense picks up right where it left off, the defense has a ton to replace. Gone are defensive linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Off to the NFL is linebacker Tatum Bethune. See ya to cornerbacks Renardo Green and Jarrian Jones.

“The thing you’ll hear about Florida State is, ‘Well, they’re 83rd in the country in returning production,'” PicKell said. “And people will be very quick to point to all the people they lost last year. That’s not untrue. But I do think it’s an incomplete thought when you look at all the guys they portaled in last year and had success with and say, ‘Well they’re not going to have success in 2024, look at all the transfers they lost from last year.’ From a Keon Coleman, to a Braden Fiske, all those guys.

“The thing I would say is didn’t Mike Norvell go to the portal again and get more guys? I think at some point in time the technique from Mike Norvell and how he builds his roster, you have to just grade it on a different curve. You have to use a different lens when you assess Florida State’s roster and how they use the portal. Because when a lot of teams go to the portal it’s like, ‘We’ll see how this works.’ But for teams like Florida State it’s like, ‘OK, we can trust their evals, trust their staff and trust their plan with some of these transfers to be able to maximize their ability.”

If Norvell has hit on his evals again, Florida State should be right back in the thick of the ACC race again. PicKell already has a few transfers he thinks can make a major difference next fall.

Enough to compete for a national title? That remains to be seen.

“Like Malik Benson, transferring in from Alabama, is he going to be Coleman?” PicKell said. “I don’t know, but I think he’s going to be good enough to get the job done for you at Wide Receiver 1. DJU, does he have the best track record of all time as a quarterback in college football? No it’s kind of been up and down for him, but is he good enough in Mike Norvell’s offense this year? I 100% believe he is.

“I love the D-line. Love the O-line. All that’s to say Florida State will look different. Yes there’s some unprovenness to them, but I think right now they’re a top 10 team in college football in 2024.”