We could call it the winter of Florida State fans' discontent.
Since the 2018 football season concluded with an embarrassing home loss to rival Florida, which ended a couple of very important streaks that we probably don't need to mention much anymore, this offseason hasn't been nearly as encouraging as Seminole faithful might have hoped.
At least on the surface. At least in terms of perception.
Substantial changes have taken place within the coaching staff -- and more are expected -- but the fanfare has been subdued because it has been a painstakingly slow process.
Recruiting has gone well in many regards -- FSU is absolutely killing it on the defensive side of the ball -- but not signing a quarterback and failing to land any marquee "flips" left a ho-hum feeling around the early signing period.
FSU also fared pretty well in the early departure department, with only defensive end Brian Burns leaving early for the NFL. Linebacker Dontavious Jackson and cornerback Levonta Taylor both announced that they considered leaving but decided to stay put, which could only be described as good things. But not all fans were overjoyed by the announcement from quarterback Deondre Francois that he was sticking around to take care of "unfinished business" -- just hours after news broke that Alabama QB Jalen Hurts had entered the NCAA transfer portal.
That's kind of how this entire offseason has gone for the 'Noles. There are positive developments taking place, but the good things are either not happening fast enough, the timing has been disjointed, or it's all not transparent enough to give the fan base much comfort.
Luckily for you, beleaguered Florida State fan, I'm here to explain that things aren't nearly as bleak as they might have appeared during these dreary days of December and January.
Let's start with the coaching staff, which has probably been concern No. 1, No. 1A, 1B and 1C for most Seminole fans I've spoken with.
While we still don't know exactly how this is all going to play out, the moves we do know about all seem to be steps in the right direction.
Kendal Briles would appear to be a substantial upgrade from Walt Bell at offensive coordinator. The fact that FSU announced Briles will be the team's "primary playcaller" before he even started work is a sign that Willie Taggart will be more focused on the entire team and not so tied up with trying to install and implement his offensive system. Briles is a very well-respected offensive mind, and if he lives up to the billing, he will be the first true offensive coordinator FSU has had since Jimbo Fisher first came in under Bobby Bowden.
Special-teams coordinator Alonzo Hampton was dismissed in early January after a disastrous season for FSU's kicking game. While that might seem like an easy decision given how poorly the Seminoles' special teams performed in 2018, Taggart deserves credit for cutting loose one of his longtime friends and a coach he employed at four different schools.
Taggart is apparently going to use that spot on his coaching staff for a defensive backs coach to help lighten the load for defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett. We don't yet know who will be filling that spot, but that again seems to be a very smart move considering the demands of that position.
With spread offensive attacks dominating the college football landscape, it's not uncommon for defenses to play five or six defensive backs at a time. It doesn't make much sense to have the coordinator of the entire defense to also be tasked with coaching the largest group of players on the field. And at least two FSU assistants (Mark Snyder and Raymond Woodie) have been special-teams coordinators at previous stops. So the staff should be able to handle those duties collectively, as opposed to having one designated coach.
On Sunday night, Florida State announced that Ron Dugans will be coming on board as wide receivers coach. Again, that appears to be a very positive development. While I don't necessarily know if Dugans is a better WRs coach than David Kelly, who is expected to assume a front-office position (we're still waiting for the dust to settle on that), there is no denying the positives he brings to the staff. He is a Tallahassee native, he was a star player at FSU, he has proven to be an excellent recruiter, he has worked for Taggart before (at USF), and he has been adored by his players at every stop along the way. He should make Florida State better.
