J.D. PicKell of On3 released his “Top 5 Coaches In CFB (College Football) Right Now” list. The configuration included Florida State head coach Mike Norvell at the #5 slot.
The list has Kirby Smart #1 – Georgia, #2 Brian Kelly – LSU, Steve Sarkisian #3 – Texas, Ryan Day #4 – Ohio State, with Norvell rounding it out.
This list likely invokes a mixture of emotions in the FSU faithful.
At first glance, FSU fans will celebrate seeing Mike Norvell on a list as a top-five coach in the country from a source that covers college football every day. Simultaneously, all four men ahead of him have coached in a national championship game either as a head coach or as a coordinator (Sarkisian was the OC at Alabama – 2020).
There shouldn’t be a large amount of pushback against Kirby Smart appearing at #1. His Georgia teams have won two of the last three national championships and lost their first game to Alabama in the 2023 SEC Championship since the 2021 season. He has been nothing but spectacular for the Bulldogs.