With job security and success FSU coach Mike Norvell more loose entering Year 4 | Kassim

Mike Norvell was asked a question about the fullback position Wednesday at the media luncheon ahead of practices opening Thursday.

The Florida State football head coach joked that “my secondary job is fullback coach.”

He later made a couple of jokes at the expense of the local media in attendance at the Varsity Club on Wednesday, particularly about ones high-fiving each other about a “good question.”

It’s fair to say the fourth-year coach is feeling confident about his team heading into 2023, taking the high expectations placed on the Seminoles in stride.

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“I'm more excited right now than I've ever been because of the work that's gone into it,” Norvell said of entering year 4 as the FSU head coach. “But when it comes to expectations as I say, there's nothing on the outside that we don't have a higher desire than on the inside. We're excited about the opportunity.”

The team’s performance last season, which included six straight wins, a state championship, a Cheez-It Bowl victory and the 25th 10-win season in program history, earned Norvell a contract extension and the job security entering Year 4 he’s never had at FSU.

The Seminoles started 2021 with an 0-4 mark, including a loss to Jacksonville State. At that point, Norvell was just 3-10 in the first 13 games of his FSU tenure and very much on the hot seat.

Since then, the team has gone 15-6 and Norvell is two games over .500 for his FSU career.

“Every chance that we get to be together, every chance we get to positively impact on this journey, there should be a sense of excitement,” Norvell said. “I'm grateful for who I get to coach. I'm grateful for who I get to coach with. I'm grateful for what I get to represent.”

More impressively, he has erased any and all questions about his job security and gotten the Seminoles back into the national conversation, both on the field and off with recruiting.

With no questions surrounding his job, it's easy to see why Norvell seems as carefree as ever entering a season with heightened expectations.

"I think we have a football team that's very confident right now, and they should be confident because of the work they've put in," Norvell said. "I believe in that. I believe in who they are, and I mean, there are no limits to what I think this team can accomplish."

Norvell has gotten the Seminoles back on the map with his game plan. So, he won't be backing down from using a defensive player like linebacker DJ Lundy as a fullback anytime soon.

"There's no experimentation with it. We love using a fullback. I take a great deal of pride. That's my top secondary job is fullback coach," Norvell said. ...

"DJ Lundy I think has been great for us in that fullback role. I think we've got some guys that we could also look at as we're continuing to grow. I've always liked taking defensive players from previous stops. Just to be able to utilize those guys at that position just for their versatility."

Jordan Travis and backup QB competition

The Seminoles are not different than any other college football team. They are built around their quarterback Jordan Travis.

Travis, who enters his sixth year in college as a potential front-runner in the Heisman Trophy preseason talks, is coming off a season in which he led all QBs with an overall Pro Football Focus offensive grade of 91.8 and finished with career-highs in completion percentage (64%), yards (3,214) and touchdowns (24) while throwing five interceptions.

Travis is seeking to join former Seminole greats Charlie Ward (1993) Chris Weinke (2000) and Jameis Winston (2013), to win the honors. FSU has already kicked off a campaign in support of Travis.

Norvell expressed continued confidence in his QB1 during the luncheon and during ACC Kickoff.

However, football is a sport to expect the unexpected and Norvell and his staff know health is something they can’t take for granted.

Last season Tate Rodemaker stepped in and helped FSU beat Louisville on the road when Travis left the game with an injury.

For that reason, the job behind Travis is the most important position on the roster with Rodemaker, redshirt freshman AJ Duffy and freshman Brock Glenn in competition.

“There's always competition. We're always continuing to build to see which guy is going to be able to separate themselves and be the most consistent and working to seize an opportunity,” Norvell said.

“I'm really excited about that quarterback room. I think we've got very, very talented players. To think that we've got four guys in that room and the ability that they have, the knowledge that they bring, the way they like to compete and help each other, it's really a special quarterback room.”

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FSU football recruiting on the rise

A recent stretch has the Seminoles recruiting better than they have at any point under Norvell. Following 11 commitments since July 1, FSU sits with the sixth-ranked recruiting class according to 247Sports and No. 5, according to On3.

The Seminoles ranked 16th (2023), 19th (2022) and 21st (2021) in the first three full recruiting cycles under Norvell.

FSU has the top recruiting class in the ACC, even ahead of Dabo Swinney and Clemson. It is the first time the program has had multiple 5-star recruits since 2017 when its class featured running back Cam Akers, edge Joshua Kaindoh and defensive tackle Marvin Wilson.

With 21 recruits, the FSU is likely nearing the upper end of the number of recruits they will likely add but are still sniffing around 5-star safety K.J. Bolden and 5-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

With recent success on the field, Norvell has touted ‘FSU is back’ as a sales pitch. But his best recruiting tool: The FSU players.

“I tell people all the time, the best recruiters that we have are our players because our players were the ones that live it,” Norvell said.

“Any coach can go and give a speech or they can try to paint a picture of a vision for what is there. The players are the ones that get to live it. All I ever ask our players to do is just be honest, be real, let them know exactly what to expect when they come here.

“Tell them how we work. Tell them the things that asked for them to do outside of just playing a game and the challenges that are presented because it's still -- I've said it since the first day I got here. It's about finding the right fit.”

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Mike Norvell ready to lead Seminoles in 2023 football