FSU Football: Assistant Coaches PAID | New Contracts Revealed For All!
Thanks to a FOIA request from 247Sports several members of Norvell's coaching staff have received raises and different langauge added to their contracts.
Updated Assistant Coach Salaries and Extensions!*
Via @NorvellCentral’s Twitter
OC/ OL Coach Alex Atkins
Extension | The contract extends him to the end of February of 2026.
Salary | $1.15 million in 2023 , $1.25 million in 2024, and $1.3 million in 2025, the sixth the final year on his contract thanks to the new extension.
I view this as a one year band-aid to appease Coach Atkins similar to the one extended to Coach Norvell following the 2021 season. Should the Nole’s meet expectations in 2023 we should.see this figure rise close to two million dollars ler year.
We have long speculated here about what kind of bump Coach Atkins might receive. He is in my opinion the single best evaluater and developer of offensive line in the Nation. Thanks to the rise of the Noles station amongst the Power 5 he is quickly becoming one of the top recruiters as well.
Twitter | @Josh_Newberg
That said with the departure of Kenny Dillingham to Oregon and Atkins’ promotion to OC in 2022 there was a bit of learning curve. The offense somewhat reverted back to being totally under Mike Norvell’s control with him resuming full playcalling duties. This is no indictment on Coach Atkins just a bit of a transition period if you will.
Atkins is an absolute shooting star in the Coaching Profession and following this 2023 season I imagine he will either takeover a portion of playcalling similar to Kenny Dillingham and wait for the perfect head coaching job or make a similar move to a team with a defensive head coach also similar to Dillingham who landed his dream job after one year as the offensive coordinator at Oregon.
QB Coach Tony Tokarz
Twitter | @Coach_TokarzQB
Extension | Through February 28, 2025
Salary | 400k in 2023 & 450k in 2024
Again this is not likely to last long and just a reward for a good season.
The second greatest talent on this coaching staff in my opinion is none other than Coach Tokarz only headed into hos second year as an on-field assistant having done an amazing job with the Seminole quarterbacks.
Not only did Jordan Travis take giant steps over the offseason and throughout the year but we watched Tate Rodemaker grow into a legitimate back up quarterback the fans and staff alike can trust in. I believe he is the next inline for the offensive coordinator position when Atkins inevitably take a head coaching gig somewhere in the next few years.
RB Coach David Johnson
Twitter | @CoachYACJohnson
Extension | February 28, 2025
Salary | $500k in 2023 & 550K in 2024
Coach Johnson has done an admirable job with the running back position during his time at Florida State although his recruiting has left quite a bit to be desired when it comes to pulling highschool talent.
He could do a lot to imorove his station by coaching up a group replacing Trashaun Ward in 2023 and landing the bell cow of the 2024 recruiting class in Kameron Davis, a two sport star and the number two RB in the Nation.
TE Coach Chris Thomsen
Extension | February 29, 2024
Salary | $500k in 2023 (final year / no raise)
Speculation ran rampant among Seminole fans this offseason about the status of Chris Thompson. The TE position has been just about non-existant in the three years under him and he has done absolutely nothing to improve the talent there with Camren Mcdonald remaining the only Conference leve player in the entire group and walk-ons littering his depth chart.
That said we did see some growth out of Markeston Douglas last year and rumors are abuzz about young players Jerrale Powers and Brian Courtney. It appear’s Coach Thomsen is betting on himself in 2023 and he has the horses to show great improvement with the addition of two stud TE’s in Jaheim Bell and Kyle Morlock.
WRs Coach Ron Dugans
Extension | February 28, 2025
Salary | $500k in 2023 & $550k in 2024
Florida State Alumnus and veteran wide recievers coach Ron Dugans found himself in a similar position to Chris Thomsen in 2022. Behind the arrival of four impact transfers and some upperclassmen guys holding the group together Coach Dugans turned the wide receiver unit from one of the worst on the team to one of the best in the league in one offseason. The addition of Hykeem Williams and a healthy Winston Wright Jr. should further improve his unit.
STs & DEs Coach John Papuchis
Extension | February 28 of 2025
Salary | $700k in 2023 & 750k in 2024
Coach Papuchis has been an absolute superstar at Florida State in every single phase except for High school recruiting. While this is certainly a issue for him I believe it has simply been due to extreme negative recruiting and all the obstacles lobbed at the stafff as they began right as Covid hit the US locking the country down for eighteen months. That said the loss of a certain player to Auburn simply can not be overlooked.
His original contract paid him only $550k per year for three year. He must have receive a $50k raise at some point and time last year and a healthy $100k this year along with his two year extension.
DT Coach Odell Haggins
Twitter | @FSUFootball
Extension | February of 2024
Salary | $600K in 2023
What can I say about Coach Haggins that hasn’t already been said. Coach Haggins and I actually share a birthday and he turned 56 years young yesterday. To be honest while Odell doesn’t appear a day over forty five I honretly believed him to be older than his current age.
Odell headed to the NFL from FSU in 1990 only to return 3 years later and recieve his degree and begin a career in coaching at his alma-mater. He did so under Mickey Andrews and Bobby Bowden. His contract runs out as he reaches twenty full years on the coaching staff at Florida State. I will support whatever decision he makes following this offseason and I only pray he is given the respect and honor he deserves.
LBs Coach Randy Shannon
Extension | February 29 of 2024
Salary | $625k in 2023
Similar to Coach Haggins, Shannon only recieved an extension of a few months to February of 2024. It appears they have structured all the contracts to clear the original/ second NSD in February. Seems they intend to keep this staff together through the upcoming season with several changes coming before spring 2024.
While I am a fan of the man and he certainly has coached up a group that was in absolute disarray when he arrived he simply has not met the expectations at Florida State University in my opinion and this could very well be his last season in Tallahassee. His seat is certainly heated up.
DBs Coach Patrick Surtain
Term | February 28, 2025
Salary | $400k in 2023 & 500k in 2024
Additionally Coach Surtain has cell phone and vehicle allowances, a $20K signing bonus along with some other clauses.
We have written extensively about the hire and our original article breaking down the hire right here.
DC Adam Fuller
Extension | February of 2025
Salary | $1.2 Million in 2023 & $1.3 Million in 2025
While Fuller seat is not quite so hot as Randy Shannon’s or maybe even Chris Thomsen’s, he is certainly not on the same level as his offensive counterpart in Alex Atkins. That said he did recieve a raise of 100k at some point in 2022 and his salary over the next two years is very much in line with Atkins’
Much like Thomsen, Fuller finally has his defense stacked with top tier talent and the requisite depth to make a championship run. Despite the heavy criticisms levied his way, his defenses have improved each year and unlike a few other coaches I am squarely in his corner and rooting for him to prove us all wrong.