Coaching exits put FSU in prime position

Less than 12 months into his tenure, and Jimbo Fisher is already the dean of Florida's big three college football programs.

With last week's firing of Randy Shannon at Miami and then Urban Meyer's sudden, if not entirely unexpected resignation at Florida on Wednesday, Fisher finds himself peerless among Florida State's biggest rivals, and at a potentially crucial time of the year.

Like virtually every other coaching staff in college football, Fisher and his assistants are are all on the road recruiting this week, and the instability around the state - especially at Florida - could work to FSU's advantage.

"[Meyer's resignation] will cause some kids to think," Fisher said. "You know, you don't know. It depends on each individual. Some kids want to go to Florida because that's where they want to go no matter who the coach is. Others want to go because of the coach. That will have to be determined through each individual. I think it will cause at least some delay in their recruiting and what they're doing. If there's some battles that we can win from that, okay, so be it. Because that's part of the business."

All of a sudden, FSU finds itself as arguably the most stable football program in the state - a notion that was somewhat laughable a year ago, as turmoil and uncertainty surrounded the Seminoles and the future of the now-departed Bobby Bowden. Fisher admitted that, obviously, FSU has to use its newfound stability as a selling point to prospects.

"You have to. They were using the turmoil going on here (to recruit against FSU)," he said. "That's part of the business."

Fisher said he had heard rumors of Meyer's pending resignation, but, given the nature of the coaching profession, it was easy to be somewhat skeptical.

"I had actually heard it for two or three days, kind of rumblings," he said. "But that happens all the time in this business."

The Seminoles currently have 19 verbal commitments for their 2011 recruiting class, a group that currently ranked fourth nationally by Rivals.com. Fisher noted that this deep into recruiting season - National Signing Day is less that two months away - FSU already has a pretty good handle on which prospects they're after and how many more they could take.

"The good thing, we don't have many guys left to get. there's 6, 7 guys or whatever we take or however many it is there at the end. It's not like you're at the beginning. But it could influence, and hopefully it will help."