FSU Football: Norvell's WR Room The Best In The ACC
Heading into year four at Florida State Mike Norvell has got the Noles Wide Reciever room the envy of the conference. We break down how we got here!
Evolution Of The WR Room
The wide receiver room at Florida State is unrecognizable from the one inherited by Mike Norvell at the end of 2019. Through recruiting High-school blue-chip WRs like Hykeem Williams and maximizing the transfer portal market, grabbing guys like Johnny Wilson and Mycah Pittman, Norvell has brought the room to the very top of the conference.
Alot of people may dispute my claim pointing at the reigning ACC champions and perrenial WRU Clemson. I must admit their sudden firing of Brandon streeter and hiring of the hottest coordinator in all of college football took a bit of a bite out if this proclamation of mine. That said looking at the rosters I like FSUs group and believe they have multiple thousand yard recievers.
We have written and spoke at length about the narratives surrounding the portal, and Norvell’s roster building methods. I wont get into that here but I just want tk point out this approach has led to an amazingly diverse wide reciever group in which any of 6-8 guys could impact the game and lead the team on any given Saturday.
On top of everything else they also have freak NFL bodies like Wilson and Hykeem that can be targeted 20 times a game into any coverage known to man and still come down with the ball. True gamebreaking speed at every spot on the field along with the support of some amazing tight-ends. Add these guys to what the Noles have coming in on the line, in the TE & RB rooms, and it makes for a weapon of mass devastation for any defense on their schedule.
It has been a juggling act performed flawlessly. Below I have broken down the movements on the scholarship WR roster from Coach Norvell and Dugans. It has been a steady influx of increasing talent from the HS and portal ranks. This leads to a lot of transfers. WR is the mkst sucsceptible position group to transfer and it has been a very yin and yang mix of exits and entries.
2019 Roster Norvell Inherits
DJ Matthews | Portal Exit
Warren Thompson | Portal Exit
Tamorrion Terry | Released
Keyshawn Helton
Ontario Wilson
Jordan Young
Adarius Dent
Treshaun Harrison | Portal Exit
Keith Gavin | NFL
2020 Norvell’s Year One ( Covid Year)
Bryan Robinson | Portal Exit
Keyshawn Helton
Warren Thompson | Poral Exit
Darion Williamson
Ontario Wilson
Jordan Young
Adarius Dent | Portal Exit
2021 Year Two of The CLIMB
Keyshawn Helton
Andrew Parchment | Portal Signee
Nole legend thanks to one special play!
Malik McClain | High-School
Darion Williamson
Ontario Wilson
Jordan Young | Portal Exit
Joshua Burrel | Pos. Change
Kentron Portier | High School
Play of the Year; Maybe Tenure
4th and 14 to Crush the Canes
Twitter | Tomahawk Nation | @TomahawkNation
2022 Year 3 - Proof of Concept
Jakhi Douglas | Position switch RB
Winston Wright Jr. | Transfer DNP
Mycah Pittman | Transfer
Deuce Spann | Transfer
Keyshawn Helton | Transfer Exit
Malik McClain | Transfer Exit
Johnny Wilson Transfer
Darion Williamson
Ontario Wilson | NFL
Kentron Portier
Ron Dugans Speaks on Wright Jr.
Twitter | @LogansTwitty | SI.com | Noles Gameday
2023 Year Four - Expectations Return
Top Four Headed Into the Year
Johnny Wilson | Year 2 Transfer
Kentron Portier | Year 3 High School
Mycah Pittman | Year 2 Transfer
Winston Wright Jr. | Year 2 Transfer
10-20 Snaps a game
Ja’Khi Douglas | Year 4 High School
Deuce Spann | Year 2 Transfer
Darion Williamson | Year 4 HS
Hykeem Williams | Tribe23 HS
Likely Red-Shirt
Vandrevious Jacobs | Tribe23 Hs
Darren Goldie Lawrence | Tribe 23 HS
To be clear these starting / snap projections are based on the maximum of a four WR Set week one of the season. It’s very possible these will be scrambled by year’s end and in fact I expect them to be but that is another article!