Rick Stockstill took the podium on Monday for his first press conference as the interim head coach of the Florida State Seminoles after the firing of Mike Norvell. He started it by thanking him.
"I want to thank Coach (Mike) Norvell for giving me the opportunity a couple of years ago to come here. You guys know, he poured his heart and soul into this program. I have a lot of respect for him, what he sacrificed and what he gave this program. I just want to recognize him and thank him."
He went on to thank several other members of the program.
"And I'd like to thank President (Richard) McCullough, Chairman Peter Collins, and (interim Director of Athletics) Bruce Warwick for giving me this opportunity to lead this program for the next couple of months
here. I love Florida State. I love Florida State football. I've said many times, the two most influential men in my life have been my dad and Coach (Bobby) Bowden, and it's kind of surreal."
Here's everything that Stockstill said.
On what makes Florida State what it became and what it takes to get back to that
I think me personally, every time somebody asked me what it was to play at Florida State, I always talk about Coach Bowden first, because he built this program, really, in reality. You know, he built this university, just the impact that he's had on my life personally and professionally. Like I said, him and my dad are the most influential men in my life.
To me, for Florida State to get back to that, it's not gonna happen in a day, it's not gonna happen in 2 days, but we've just got to understand the commitment, the work ethic, everything you have to do that made Florida State great, so successful all those years. Everybody pulling together in the same direction. I'm talking about players, the team.
I'm talking about everybody on the outside, we were a united group from coaches to players, the administration, the fans, everybody, so I think just the big thing is it's, I know people may disagree. It's not broke, we got some dents in it we gotta get fixed, but I really truly believe, and I'm not saying this because of my love for Florida State, but Florida State is close. We're close and we just, we're gonna get there, but it's gonna take everybody pulling the rope in the same direction.
On getting the interim job and how he's approaching it
When I found out yesterday afternoon, Bruce talked to the team or really, Coach talked to the team first. He said how he felt and thanked them and everything. Then Bruce, and then I talked to them for just a couple of minutes because it wasn't the time for them to hear a big long speech from me. Because there was a lot on him, thrown at him there. And then today being an off day for the players, I haven't really had an opportunity to talk to them as a group.
That'll happen tomorrow morning when we practice. I guess a timeline for you, just spent a lot of time with the coaches individually and collectively as an offense, defense, and special teams units, just making sure they're organized, that we're organized on the same page. There's gonna be some changes, do some things different, and just wanted to make sure, just from a practice schedule standpoint, structure that I was giving them everything they needed to be successful.
Meetings there and then meeting with the support staff, the strength coach, Mrs. J (Jaden Hamil) and nutrition and the training room and Jason (Baisden) and equipment just trying to meet with all those people to make sure we're organized and anything I can do to help them and vice versa, they're keeping me abreast on what I need to be aware of. Probably a little bit more administrative, administrative things right now and I've been in there with the offense and we've watched a little bit of film and all that, just kinda more of that so than anything else.
On interim defensive coordinator Ernie Sims
Ernie's a really, really good person. He's a good person. He loves Florida State. He's a passionate, energetic, enthusiastic coach. You're gonna get Ernie's best every day. It doesn't matter if it's a full-padded practice or a walkthrough. You're gonna get great energy, great passion from Ernie. He's got a good rapport with his players and the defensive players. He's got a tremendous work ethic, he's a good communicator, and I have no doubt that he'll do a jam-up job. He's passionate, I love his energy. I love how much he loves Florida State football.
On what his message to the team is
I haven't talked to the team yet, being an off day today, I've been around some of them in the training room there and everything, but to me, the message is, again, they have, we have as coaches, they have as players, a tremendous responsibility to this football program. I go back to the legacy of Coach Bowden, the tradition of Coach Bowden, the tradition of Florida State football. Some of these guys have been here 1 year, some of them have been here 4 or 5 years, some of them a couple of years, but as soon as you walk into that building, there's an obligation, a responsibility, a commitment, whether you're a coach or you're a player that you give everything you have to this program.
That's what I want our guys to do, that's what I'll tell them tomorrow and we're not gonna look ahead and say, we can do this, do this 4 weeks down the road. It's cliche, all that I know…we've got to do whatever it takes to get better tomorrow, and have a great practice and all that, but I want them to understand how many people, former players, fans who have supported this program for so many years, what they desire, what they hope to see and just play with unbelievable passion and toughnessand just a love for this program and for the…I don't wanna get up here and sound like that former player guy, but even when I wasn't here.
I was a long way away that I watched Florida State any chance I could. I followed the scores just because I love this place and there's so many of us still out there that do the same thing, and I just want them to know and understand the responsibility that they have and it's a great responsibility to be able to represent this football program at Florida State.
On accountability and leadership from the players
It's a great question, but to me, player leadership doesn't just start now because you had a coaching change. The great teams have always been player-led. We've got tremendous leadership on this team on both sides of the ball. I have no doubt that they're gonna rally together and all that, but we as coaches, we have to do a great job because players are gonna look at us. They're gonna look at coaches and see how they respond to adversity and things that when things don't go right, they see how coaches respond. So we have to be a great example for them. We have to be able to communicate with them in a positive way, not coddle them or anything like that.
I'm not saying that, but we got to help them through it, but they've got to help each other through it also and understand. If you're a true competitor, which you hope everybody in this profession is, if you're a true competitor, the circumstances don't determine how you're gonna perform or prepare. Today I got an opportunity to go out and compete. I like the leadership of our team. I think we've got some really, really good leaders. I'm anxious to talk to them again tomorrow and just rally this whole team together for this journey that's ahead of us in the next couple of months.
On getting back to coaching
Man, I can't tell you. I can't tell you how excited, you know, because it almost, I was appreciative of coach giving me the opportunity where I was at, but every day I walked through that door, I can't tell you how much I missed coaching, how much I missed interacting with the players. I'd go downstairs to the GA's office or the coaches office and just hang out just to kind of be around coaches. I'm ecstatic about this opportunity and that's what I feel I am. I'm a coach. Again, I'm appreciative of the opportunity, but I'm jacked. I'm fired up to get out there and actually coach and be around and try to impact coaches and players as much as I can.
On evaluating younger players to assist the next head coach
No. We'll let that guy worry about that, but I want to win and I'm not interested in, "let's see what he can do for next year", unless he's a better player, but the best players, we're gonna do everything we can to win. That's all I care about. I just, I wanna win, and we'll let all that…growth and all that, we'll let that fall how it may here in January. Put the best player out there that gives us the best opportunity to win the game.
On the challenges of being an interim coach
That's a good question. You know, my time at Clemson, we got my first year there, Danny Ford was the head coach and he got let go, but it was after the season. It was after the bowl game. Four years later, Ken Hatfield was there and he got let go, but it was after the season. Five years later, Tommy West was the head coach. He got let go on Tuesday or Wednesday of the last week of the season. That was the closest I've been to an in-season change, but, I've been around it.
The big thing is, when changes like this happen, I think the biggest challenge is that there's a lot of uncertainty for coaches and their families. It's easy to go in your office and close the door, call your buddies and find out what's the next job out there. I get it. I understand it. I told our staff this morning that there's a time for that, you can do that at home, but when you're here you gotta give this program, you gotta give these players or other coaches everything you have.
Just pull the rope in the same direction, have fun, coach and teach, just don't get caught up in all the gossip of, hey, did you hear this, you hear that, it's human nature. I mean you can't help it, but to me the biggest thing is, everybody sticks together, they don't point fingers and say if you'd have done this or you'd have done that you know it's, it's all of us together. Like you tell your team, when you win, it's everybody, when you lose, it's everybody, when bad things happen, it's usually everybody, not just one person. I think the big thing is just keeping everybody together.
On how many calls or messages he got from former players
I won't guess. 501.
On if he's talked to Coach Odell Haggins
Him and Corey Fuller, excuse me. I haven't talked this much in a long time. Yes. I've talked to other people. Rich Bisaccia, who's a friend of mine, I talked to him last night. He's at Clemson. He was the interim head coach at the Raiders. Just feeding off everybody. Getting their input and experiences.
On how much influence he has in finding the next head coach
We got great leadership with Bruce and everything. If they ask my opinion, I'll give it to them, but I'm not gonna go out and say, you should hire him or look at him or whatnot. But we've got great leadership here and I'm here to help. "Hey, do you know him or whatever," I'm here to help, but I'm not going to say, you should hire him or shouldhire him.
On the state of college football
To me, college football has never been better. There's a lot of positives going on. The big thing is we just got to get some parameters on the transfer portal and the money. Once we get everybody to be on a level, same playing field is gonna be better. That would be my only thing is just, right now, the transferring probably bothers me more than the money.
If you got 10 bucks, but you got 20 bucks, that doesn't bother me as much as you transferring here and you got every year somebody's transferring. I saw some of my buddies this past weekend and we're talking about it and where are you gonna go when you're our age? What are you gonna call your school? I think that's what they're missing now.
If they could put some parameters a little bit on how many times you can transfer and all that, I think would help it. The amount of teams going into the playoffs and all that, there's gonna be some that like it and some that don't like it, which is natural, I just, I think we're in a great place in college football if we could just get a better grasp on the transfer stuff.
On developing relationships with the players at Florida State
It's not like I'm trying to go out of my way or be somebody I'm not to get a relationship. I think a relationship starts with trust, I talk to those guys all the time in practice, whether they're on offense or defense, special teams. It goes back to just, I love coaching. I love the relationships, I love impacting. What you see is what you get. I'm not a phony dude. I'm the same every day out there at practice. If I see them doing something wrong or quarterback, I'll say something to him, a running back, I'll say, but I'm not trying to go out of my way to be somebody that I'm not. I've been doing this a long, long time I've always had good relationships with players.
On if he'll be involved in play calling and what his plan is when it comes to coaching
I talked to Tim yesterday. Tim will be the play caller, Tim Harris, he'll be the play caller, I'm not a micromanager. I haven't been in those offensive meetings, it would be unfair for those offensive coaches for me to jump in here and do this or do that. I've got a lot of faith and trust in Tim and the offensive guys on that staff. As things hopefully settle down here in the next day that, I'm gonna spend more time in the offensive meeting and if I see something, suggest something.
But Tim will have complete control of the play calling, then I'll help him in the course of the game of decision-making on, if we're gonna go forward on 4th down or any critical decisions that come up throughout the course of the game, I'll have my input on that, obviously. But initially, Tim, he's got it all.
On who recruited him besides FSU and why he signed
I was not highly recruited. I think Florida State was my only offer. Troy, I think they offered me, but I'm not sure. I didn't have many offers. Even if I'd have had 50 offers, I fell in love with Coach Bowden. Recruiting has changed, you guys know so much from back then. I don't even know if commit was the right word. I think I'm gonna sign here. I fell in love with his message, I believed in what he was saying. You guys have been here. My first year was 77, his first year was 76. 1973, 74 and 5, Florida State won three games.
They were thinking about shutting down Florida State football, and I just wanted to be part of something that was special. I believed Coach Bowden was gonna be special and build something special. That's why I came, it was mainly because of Coach Bowden. I had just moved from Kentucky to Florida. I went to 2 years of high school in Florida. It's not like I grew up a Florida State fan, I'm from Georgetown, Kentucky, and just fell in love with Coach Bowden and his vision.
On if it was hard not to overstep into coaching
Not really because I have a ton of respect for Tony Tokarz when he was here. Tony and I developed a relationship. And then same thing now with Austin Tucker, that we have a relationship and it wasn't like I was ever going behind their back. Before every practice, I shake every quarterbacks hand. If I see something to him, I would say it, but it wasn't anything that I was…You overthrew it because you overstride, you threw a worm burner because you didn't step, front shoulder got, just little things like that, but I never coached anything on them schematically, anything like that. It was, if I just saw something fundamentally, same with the receivers. If I saw something fundamentally, I would say so. You know why you dropped it, and I was always respectful to the coach because that's his job and I was never trying to be somebody that I wasn't or trying to step on their toes.
On his message to the FSU fan base
You became a fan of Florida State because you love Florida State. Don't let a bad game or a bad year or two bad years, don't let that steal your love and joy and passion for Florida State. It's not always easy. There's always gonna be highs, there's always gonna be lows, and as a Florida State fan, as a former player and a Florida State fan, don't give up. I know it's been tough. It's been treacherous waters here the last couple of years, but don't give up, stay loyal to Florida State. In recruiting, they don't really do it, but you wanna come to the school because of the school, not based on other factors.
If you're a fan and you love Florida State, love Florida State, not based off one or two or 2.5 years of, it was a couple of years ago, coach went 13-1. Just be patient, don't give up. You don't ever want your players to give up. As a fan, don't give up. I understand their frustration. I understand their disappointments, but Florida State's gonna be back. And when it does take off they can be the ones that say I went through the hard times and now I'm enjoying the good times again.
Follow us @FSUWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Matthew on X @StarConscience.
This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Everything FSU interim head coach Rick Stockstill said on Monday
