FSU Nearly Stuns Alabama & Norvell Faces His Alma Mater / Florida State PrimeTime LIVE 27

Florida State Primetime Live presented by FanDuel Host: Jackson Burlison FSUVOCFB / Voice of College Football Focus: Alabama recap, Central Arkansas preview, 2027 recruiting, injuries, Norvell job security, Jimbo Fisher rumors Intro (0:31–1:23) Welcome to another edition. Agenda: thoughts on Saturday’s Alabama game, preview of this Saturday’s Central Arkansas matchup, recruiting notes. Subscribe, comment on season record expectations, check Voice of College Football merch in the description. Tayshaun Poole film breakdown — 2027 four-star commit (1:29–5:48) Four-star safety/athlete (No. 6 safety nationally, No. 6 in Georgia, No. 64 overall) had a monster Friday night vs. Baldwin High School in a 49-43 win. Stats: 9 receptions, 245 yards, 6 TDs (27.2 yards per catch); 7 tackles, 1 TFL on defense. Host reacts live to film: Contested one-handed catch while double-covered. Open-space tackling and speed. Breaks tackles, jet-sweep TD, runs away from entire defense. Route running and shiftiness praised. Called the best player currently in FSU’s 2027 class. Some already floating five-star talk after another game or two like this. Versatile two-way player; compared to fellow class athlete Car Johnson. Host likes the idea of both as freshman weapons next year. Clip-worthy film segments throughout this block. Sam Singleton Jr. injury (5:49–8:22) Backup RB out for an extended period (leg injury). Norvell comments suggest he may not return until the second half of the season. Through 3 games: 20 carries, 73 rush yards; 8 catches, 162 receiving yards (2nd on team), 2 TDs (team lead). Standout 65-yard catch-and-run vs. Alabama on 3rd-and-14. Opens the door for Contraveon Weisner (discussed last week as underused). Host hopes Weisner becomes a more prominent piece. Called Singleton one of the better offensive players early and a homegrown product whose growth was noted by former RB coach Austin Tucker. Big loss; Weisner now has a clear path vs. Central Arkansas and New Mexico State leftovers. Jimbo Fisher reunion rumors (8:23–11:09) FSU exploring a potential reunion. Bruce Feldman report: FSU brass looking into it; Fisher wants the job. $75M+ remaining buyout from Texas A&M firing gives FSU financial flexibility to pay him less and redirect money to roster/NIL. President Richard McCullough still publicly backing Norvell (“nobody wants to win more than him”). Host’s take: Norvell saved his job Saturday. Seat cooler than it was heading into Alabama. 1-2 record includes two losses to top-20 teams. Expects Norvell to finish the season. Still understands why the program would keep options open given Fisher’s FSU résumé (2013 national title, 83-23 overall, 48-16 ACC 2010-17) and even the 45-25 Texas A&M mark (25-21 SEC). Alabama game recap — FSU 36, Alabama 50 (11:09–25:00) FSU dropped its 10th straight road game but covered a 19.5-point spread and led 21-6 and later 28-26. Two weather delays (roughly 90 minutes early + another late in the second quarter; ~120 minutes total delay) disrupted rhythm. Positives Defense forced two three-and-outs to open the game. McKay Bayer making open-field tackles on third down. Deuce Robinson explosion: 6 catches, 135 yards, TD (season high). 20-yard TD on 50/50 ball vs. blitz to start the scoring. Ashton Daniels’ best game: 17-of-29, 377 yards, 2 rushing TDs. Aggressive downfield, gave receivers chances. Host still assigns all three INTs to Daniels (held ball too long, inaccurate, forced throws). Offensive line looked improved after some shuffling (tackle-to-guard moves). Weapons showing: Makai Danzy 89 yards, Boggs 69, Singleton 68, Landon Thomas TD. Covered the spread after host and many fans doubted they would. Negatives Allowed 567 yards (second straight 560+ yard game; SMU had 585 the week before — over 1,000 yards in two games). Defense wore down after strong start; blown coverages and missed tackles after second delay. Keelan Russell’s mobility a problem (same issue as vs. Kevin Jennings). Didn’t finish. Tony White said they needed to stay aggressive schematically. First game this season under 100 rushing yards. Three turnovers; host believes FSU wins if they don’t turn it over. Host was at a wedding in Chicago and still impressed they scored 36 on No. 10 Alabama. “We punched them in the throat.” Feels the performance gives life to the season and makes an 8-win ACC-competitive year realistic rather than far-fetched. Inconsistency across first three weeks remains the concern (two different teams). Norvell: “We left a lot on the table.” Revised record projection (25:00–29:00) After the Alabama showing, host updates outlook to 7-5. Beat Central Arkansas Beat Virginia (home) Lose Louisville Lose Miami Beat Clemson Beat Boston College Beat Pitt Beat NC State Lose Florida Virginia at home is the next real measuring-stick game for ACC competitiveness. ESPN projection mentioned: Frisco Bowl vs. Memphis, with coaching security as a storyline. Host notes that’s still a bowl after two bad years — incremental progress, not fantasy 10-2 talk. Central Arkansas preview (29:00–36:00) FSU 44.5-point favorite (FanDuel). Host takes FSU to cover and win by 50. Norvell connections: Played WR at UCA 2001-05 (Hall of Fame 2016; 2nd in school history with 213 receptions, 5th with 2,600 receiving yards). UCA HC Nathan Brown was his teammate (QB 2004-08). UCA notes: FCS United Athletic Conference (competitive league with ACU, Tarleton). Dual-threat QB Donovan (671 pass yards, 6 TDs; 336 rush yards) — good practice after struggling vs. mobile QBs. WR Terrell Pollard averaging 20 YPC. LB Ashton Williams 11.8 tackles per game (2nd in FCS). Allowed a kick-return TD on the first play last week vs. SE Missouri. FSU red-zone TD rate leads ACC at 84.6%. Special teams: Darius Jones one of four FBS players with INT + FF + FR this year; kicker perfect 3-for-3 FGs (18-for-18 career). Keys: Use speed early, get defense off the field, get Weisner involved, possibly see Myokai Marshall if it’s a blowout. Host wants a Kent State-style domination. Chat / wrap (36:00–end) “Make Deuce great again” — host agrees Alabama was the breakout. Daniels comparisons (James Blackman, Everett Golson, DJU) — host sees some similarities but notes Daniels’ Alabama tape showed more potential than first two weeks. Norvell play-calling: Host thinks he took over more this year for job-security reasons; likes the aggression vs. Alabama once the pass game worked. Defense remains the issue vs. good teams (and even vs. New Mexico State). Optimism vs. realism debate with commenters. Host says his job includes being optimistic after the Alabama flashes. Closes with plugs: subscribe, FSU/VOCFB socials, “The Take with Jackson Burleson” podcast. Central Arkansas should be a 50-point win and a chance to build on the Alabama performance. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.