Norvell hopeful growing pains will pay off down road for FSU football

At some point, Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell is expecting these growing pains his younger players are experiencing will turn into the type of growth that results in touchdowns and victories and championships and all the rest.

So far, of course, it has resulted in a 2-5 record and back-to-back blowout losses to teams that were on four-game losing streaks. But as hard as it is to watch in the moment -- as hard as it is for players and coaches and fans to endure -- this experience, in theory, could prove valuable down the road.

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Through seven games in 2020, Florida State has played 18 true freshmen. Of those 18, only Stephen Dix Jr. and punter Alex Mastromanno have won starting spots (Chubba Purdy might soon be the starting quarterback, depending on the health of Jordan Travis), but more than a few have become rotation players.

Which is all part of the plan, according to Norvell.

"When you're able to get on the field and play, get a sense of the speed early in your career, it really allows you to have a greater appreciation for the importance of those little things,” Norvell said. “Throughout my coaching career, it's been routine that we have played a ton of young players because I believe in the development of what comes along with that. Obviously, with this year not counting for their eligibility purposes, it really provides a lot of flexibility."

That goes for all the underclassmen. And Florida State is playing a ton of them in 2020.

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On Saturday, in the Seminoles' 41-17 loss to Pitt, FSU started 13 players who are freshmen or sophomores. Of the 53 actually healthy players listed on the offensive and defensive depth charts heading into the game, 34 were freshmen or sophomores.

The bad news, obviously, is all that youth got beat up by 24 points Saturday by a mediocre Pitt team. The good news is that maybe these young players will grow into something that can actually help turn this program around.

Of the top 10 ranked offensive players who have competed in at least five games this year for FSU, according to Pro Football Focus grades, only three -- Tamorrion Terry, Camren McDonald and Devontay Love-Taylor -- are juniors or seniors. The rest are underclassmen.

The highest-ranked offensive lineman is Love-Taylor. The next two highest, Robert Scott and Maurice Smith, are a true freshman and redshirt freshman. So, if you're looking for something to build on up front, those two guys are a good place to start.

Of the top 10 players on the FSU defense who have seen substantial playing time, six are freshmen or sophomores.

Granted, being one of the 10 best players on a defense that is statistically the worst in modern Florida State history isn't something to celebrate necessarily, but it is a reason to expect things might improve as these players get older, bigger, stronger and (presumably) better.

But for now, as Saturday reinforced, the youth movement can be painful.

"You look at the roster, you look at the youth that's playing," Norvell said. "Guys are kind of being forced into action. We're playing probably 75 to 80 percent freshmen or sophomores at some key positions. It's challenging. But I have seen positive strides. I've seen positive strides in a lot of areas. ...

"We're working in that process. It starts in how we prepare, it starts in how we train, it starts in every aspect and taking those meetings out to the practice field and from the practice field to the game day. And we're not as consistent as we need to be in that."

On FSU's official roster, 85 of 117 players (including walk-ons) are freshmen or sophomores; that's 72.6 percent of the entire team. According to FSU, only Oregon has a higher percentage at 73.6

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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council