Tag: Mike Norvell

Dabo Swinney remains highest-paid ACC coach by margin

Dabo Swinney may not have the start he wanted at Clemson this year, but he’s still the ACC’s highest-paid coach by more than $3.5 million.

USA TODAY  released its database for college football’s highest-paid coaches earlier this week, and Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney led all ACC coaches by more than $3.5 million.

The only active coach in the conference with a national championship with his current program (North Carolina‘s Mack Brown won with Texas), Swinney is also the only ACC coach among the top 10. At more than $10.8 million, he slots between Alabama‘s Nick Saban and Georgia‘s Kirby Smart as the 2nd-highest paid in the country.

Mike Norvell, who has Florida State on the verge of a College Football Playoff appearance, follows Swinney at $7.3 million. Brown, with his reputation, is lower than one might expect on the list. Read below to see where each coach in the conference compares to his peers.

Name Team 2023 Salary National Rank Total Buyout
Dabo Swinney Clemson $10,884,775 2nd $64,000,000
Mike Norvell Florida State $7,300,000 15th $42,209,583
Pat Narduzzi Pittsburgh $5,875,817 28th N/A
Jeff Brohm Louisville $5,550,000 31st $31,416,667
Dave Doeren NC State $5,024,390 35th $10,307,926
Mack Brown North Carolina $5,000,000 36th $2,812,500
Dave Clawson Wake Forest $4,284,656 42nd N/A
Tony Elliott Virginia $4,250,000 43rd $19,475,000
Dino Babers Syracuse $4,063,138 46th N/A
Brent Pry Virginia Tech $4,000,000 51st $12,650,000
Jeff Hafley Boston College $3,120,012 55th N/A
Brent Key Georgia Tech $2,800,000 60th $7,213,333

Duke’s Mike Elko and Miami’s Mario Cristobal, since their schools are private, did not have a salary listed in the database.

Watch: Mike Norvell takes helicopter to check in on a five-star recruit

Mike Norvell arrived at a high school football game in a helicopter.

Things aren’t too bad right now for Florida State and head coach Mike Norvell. On Sunday, his team beat LSU and then five days later, he took a helicopter to check in on one of the nation’s top 25 recruits.

A player who just so happens to be committed to Florida State.

Colquitt County (Moultrie, Georgia) tight end Landen Thomas, a five-star tight end according to 247Sports, was the center of the impressive visit from Norvell. The Florida State head coach certainly arrived in style via the helicopter, a move that is as much about ease and expedience as it is simply about making a splash.

Social media was buzzing about Norvell’s arrival in the chopper, and that is exactly the kind of recruiting cache that a head coach needs to keep a blue-chip prospect like Thomas committed.

 

 

Norvell’s arrival is certainly quite the buzz at the game, leading to a host of social media reactions. None better than this one, though:

 

Week 1 of college football sent a clear, loud message about the transfer portal

Deion Sanders, Mike Norvell, and Lincoln Riley maximize the portal. Dabo Swinney hates it. Any questions?

Sometimes the truth is subtle and complicated, and it takes a long time to discover it as it evolves. Other times, the truth hits you in the face, right between the eyes, with the force of a hurricane.

Week 1 of the 2023 college football season was not subtle in conveying central, foundational messages about the nature of the business and the necessary aspects of the modern coach’s job description.

Clemson was on top of the world in 2018. The Tigers had won their second national championship in three seasons. Deshaun Watson gave way to Trevor Lawrence and the championships just kept coming. Clemson made the national championship game in three of the past four seasons and returned one more time under Lawrence a year later in 2019. Dabo Swinney was able to win big — very big — with home-grown recruits.

However, what began to change at that time in college football was the transfer portal and the liberalized transfer rules in the sport. Then came COVID-19 and the extra year of COVID eligibility which led to players not only taking the extra year offered to them, but wanting to make use of it by trying out different schools, different coaches, and getting different voices and perspectives before going into the NFL draft.

College football has changed a lot in the five years since Clemson ruled the roost. Dabo Swinney has not embraced the transfer portal. He has made no secret of his hatred for it. Monday night, Clemson did not have the talent needed to defeat Duke and coach Mike Elko, who is developing something special with the Blue Devils. Clemson lost as a 12-point favorite and will be a heavy underdog to Florida State on September 23. The Tigers are in huge trouble. If they lose that game, their season is basically done. They will have two conference losses and will be out of the College Football Playoff.

There are lessons here. Let’s look at the transfer portal message sent in Week 1 of the college football season, along with other highlights of the first full-scale weekend of the 2023 campaign:

Five numbers that defined LSU’s loss to Florida State

Here are five stats that defined LSU’s season opening loss to FSU.

LSU took a drubbing from Florida State on Sunday night.

After leading 17-14 at the half, FSU opened the floodgates in the second half. Everything started to go wrong for LSU and missed chances from earlier in the night came back to haunt the Tigers.

Now, we’ll take a peak at the numbers to see exactly where it all went wrong. The answer: a little bit of everything.

LSU will look to right the ship next week in its home opener against in-state FCS opponent Grambling.

Here are five stats that defined LSU’s opening season loss to Florida State.

LSU vs. Florida State: What to watch for in Week 1

Here’s what to watch for when LSU takes the field against Florida State on Sunday night.

LSU and Florida State will kick off shortly after 6:30 p.m. CT on Sunday night.

LSU begins the 2023 season where it finished last year, in Orlando.

The Tigers are currently 2.5-point favorites. That mirrors the spread from last year’s game.

This is, by far, the biggest game of the week when you factor in ranking and playoff implications. A loss wouldn’t end anyone’s year here, but it would make things tougher going forward.

There’s plenty of narrative to unpack in this one after the way last year’s game ended, but today, we’ll focus on the football aspect.

Here’s what to watch for when toe meets rubber on Sunday night.

Kirk Herbstreit breaks down matchup between LSU and Florida State

We are two days away from the biggest opening game of the season, No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida State.

We are two days away from the biggest opening game of the season, No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida State. This is the second year in a row that these two teams have faced off. Last season, the Seminoles came out on top 24-23 after an incredible comeback attempt fell short after a missed PAT doomed the Tigers.

That game was in New Orleans, this one is in Orlando. Florida State gets the home-field advantage and they’ve got a great team. Jordan Travis is probably one of the top players in the country and Mike Norvell has done a great job building his team. Kirk Herbstreit, who will be on the call for the game on Sunday night, gave his thoughts on the game recently.

“I think what’s interesting in that game is both teams are trying to be, as you say, ‘back.’ Because LSU, with [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] in his second year, showed some signs. They beat Alabama, they showed with [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] who they can be. And with Florida State, they lost three in a row last year in the middle of the year, it was like, ‘Oh well. Here we go again with Florida State.’ And then, they ended up finishing strong and won six in a row and ended up with 10 wins, including a bowl win. That’s why there’s momentum and that’s why people are saying here comes Florida State,” Herbstreit said, per On3.

I guess we will see who is possibly ‘back’ after the two teams kick off Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

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Mike Norvell discusses LSU’s growth from last year

Mike Norvell offered high praise for Brian Kelly’s LSU team.

Much of the narrative surrounding Florida State and LSU this week is about the rematch aspect.

At his press conference this week, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell was asked what he thinks changed about LSU since they last met.

“That was a good team we played,” Norvell said discussing the game last year, “They ended up growing and gelling together. That’s evidenced in winning the SEC West last year.”

Norvell offered praise for [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], too, highlighting his dual-threat ability.

“You got to account for him in every way,” Norvell said.

Norvell said he noticed how LSU’s running game improved as 2022 progressed and it’s paired with one of the best receiving corps Florida State will see all year.

Norvell pointed out that [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] didn’t play much in the game last year, but is now one of the most dynamic players in the sport.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Norvell[/autotag] are no strangers at this point. This will be the fourth straight year they’ve faced. Norvell is looking to even the series. Kelly is 2-1 after winning both games at Notre Dame.

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Five things to know about Florida State entering Week 1 contest in Orlando

Here are five things to know about Florida State before it faces LSU on Sunday night.

LSU and Florida State are getting set to face each in what should be the game of the week.

It’s the only top 10 matchup on the slate and there’s narrative juice too after the thriller in New Orleans last year.

Both programs are hoping 10-win seasons in 2022 can catapult them into playoff contention this year. Both fanbases expect it.

Norvell is entering his fourth-year in Tallahassee. The former Memphis coach finally got it rolling after a couple down years.

You’re probably familiar with this program due to the game last year, but here are five things you should know about Florida State.

LSU vs. Florida State could be a big test of handling expectations

LSU and Florida State both enter this year’s game with hopes of making the College Football Playoff.

When LSU and Florida State faced off last season in New Orleans, both teams were shrouded with questions coming into the game. It was unknown how LSU would look in their first game under [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag]. It was also unknown if Mike Norvell was going to be the guy for Florida State going forward.

This year, it’s a different story.

Instead of questions, both teams enter with expectations. LSU and Florida State both enter this year’s game with hopes of making the college football playoffs. LSU won the SEC West last year as they won 10 games. Florida State won 10 games and ended the year with a win over Oklahoma in a bowl game. This meeting will be about handling expectations, On3’s JD PicKell said.

“The buzz around this Florida State team has switched a lot, obviously, from this year to last year. How they handle that and how you handle being talked about is going to really impact this first game,” PicKell said.

We will see how both teams handle expectations when the game kicks off this Sunday.

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How have LSU and FSU changed since last meeting?

Here’s how LSU and Florida State have changed since they last met.

LSU and Florida State entered the game in 2022 in a similar spot.

Both were trying to climb back to the top of the sport and re-enter the national spotlight. Both coaches were counting on transfers to be real difference makers and young players to make a jump.

The Tigers and the Noles went on to surprise. Both won 10 games. For Florida State, it was its first 10-win season since 2016. For LSU, it was the first double-digit campaign since the title run in 2019.

Now, this game features two AP top 10 teams and again, they enter the match in a similar position. Here’s what’s changed with both squads since last year and how they mirror each other again.