Despite NCAA Level II violations, could this FSU football coach be a candidate for Washington?
Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell is not going to be the next Alabama head coach.
That would be former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, replacing legendary head coach Nick Saban after he announced his retirement Wednesday.
But the Crimson Tide hiring could still have ripple effects for FSU.
The Athletic named offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins a potential candidate for the open position.
Atkins' prior relationship with Washington Athletic Director Troy Dannen plays a role.
"Atkins is familiar with Dannen, having served as Tulane’s offensive line and assistant head coach from 2006 to ’08. He continues to rise and played an integral role in Florida State’s turnaround and 13-0 start this season. At FSU, he inherited one of the worst offensive lines in the Power 5 and turned it into a very good group, and he added coordinator duties in 2022. But he was just hit with a show-cause penalty on Thursday for NCAA violations for taking a prospective transfer to visit a collective. It’s yet to be seen how this could affect his candidacy for jobs. He has also never coached on the West Coast."
Atkins has been suspended for the first three games of the 2024 season after being found to have committed two Level II violations, which include impermissible recruiting activity and facilitating impermissible contact with a NIL-related booster.
He is alleged to have driven a prospect and his parents to a meeting with a leading member of the school’s NIL collective, Rising Spear in the spring of 2022.
Atkins was also given a two-year show-cause, which requires schools who hire Atkins to explain the decision to NCAA officials.Atkins is expected to remain on FSU’s staff in his current role.
As noted in the story, two other knocks against Atkins could be is he does not have West Coast ties and has never been a head coach at the college level.
Atkins has proven to be one of the best recruiters for the offensive line and also has done a strong job of development.
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football coordinator Alex Atkins listed as a candidate for Washington
