Florida State hired its new athletic director Monday, picking Jeff Purinton to guide Seminoles athletics back on the track, with no sport more important than it's lagging football program.
Purinton's hire should accelerate the search for FSU's next football coach to replace Mike Norvell, who was fired Nov. 1 after six-plus seasons.
“Anyone telling you much has happened at Florida State in their coaching search is full of it,” a college executive told USA TODAY Sports on Nov. 9. “They just hired Purinton as AD. Nothing of consequence has happened yet.”
Among the names we continue to hear as potential candidates in Tallahassee are Jimbo Fisher, who is pushing hard for the job and calling potential staffers, and Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn
Schumann.
A couple of sitting head coaches, Minnesota’s PJ Fleck and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, are names to monitor as well.
Manny Diaz is an FSU alum, but according to one well-placed college insider, he faces an uphill climb to land the job at his alma mater.
“It’s hard for me to seeing Florida State hiring a guy that failed at Miami, whether that’s fair or not,” the person said.
Noticeably absent from the list: Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert.
Why? Two coaching agents who represent current Wake Forest assistants or have represented Demon Deacons staffers in recent years told USA TODAY Sports that Wake Forest does, in fact, have “non-compete” clauses in its coaches’ contracts involving fellow ACC schools.
“That’s a real thing, because it’s cost some guys,” said one individual, who was granted anonymity to avoid jeopardizing current or future relationships within the coaching industry.
Fisher is hungry to get back into coaching and will push very hard to get his name in the mix for a second run with the Seminoles. His first was mostly terrific, highlighted by a national championship in 2013 behind what may be the best team in program history, but things fell apart near the end as Fisher eyeballed the exit.
Schumann has been very patient in evaluating his best opportunity, knowing he can afford to wait his turn while putting together elite defense after elite defense with the Bulldogs. He would also be a major departure from the norm for a program that hasn’t hired a coach with a purely defensive background since Larry Jones in 1971.
As for Norvell, multiple people told USA TODAY Sports the former FSU coach is expected to "have a significant market" at offensive coordinator, should be interested in an immediate return to coaching.
USA TODAY Sports reporter Paul Myerberg contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida State football coaching search heats up: Who’s really in the mix?
