Parson decommits, and a look at where FSU goes from here

Everyone take a seat and strap into the recruiting roller coaster because what a week it has been for FSU on the trail. It all started off with some strange recruiting news about the FSU staff losing contact with a top tier prospect, some believe there’s more to the story, but ultimately it was a bad look for the staff.

Just as fans were grabbing their pitchforks, Alex Atkins saved the day by landing 4-star blue-chip offensive tackle Lucas Simmons. All seemed well again in the FSU universe, but there was more to come.

Florida State 4-star quarterback prospect, Brock Glenn, received multiple crystal ball predictions to land at FSU. Once again, the vibe of the fanbase was soothed. However, in the famous words of salesman Billy Mays (RIP) “But wait, there’s more!” and there definitely was more news on the horizon for FSU fans.

Chris Parson Decommits from FSU

The following day, 4-star FSU quarterback commit Chris Parson posted on social media that he was decommitting from the Seminoles despite it being his dream school. Here’s a look at the graphic he posted for the full message.

Chris Parson Decommittment edit
Via Chris Parson Twitter

First, let’s acknowledge that Parson was a good take and this staff wanted him, make no mistake about it. Parson is a talented prospect with a dual threat ability that this staff would have loved to keep in the class. This is not the part where we drag a kid just because he decommitted from the school we cheer for, and we wish his all the best where he lands.

However, despite reaffirming his commitment status on a recent visit, this move was one that was kind of expected for a while. We saw Parson remove FSU stuff from his social media after another QB visited. He also started posting other official visits on his social media, which he had not done previously. I’m not here to say he fears competition, because every school has competition, but it was known he wanted to be the only QB in the class.

It was also clear that FSU wanted more than one regardless of if that meant risking Parson’s commitment. Maybe coincidence, maybe not, but the day before Parson decommitted FSU received multiple predictions to land 4-star quarterback Brock Glenn as I mentioned before.

Let’s face it, it would be risky for Norvell to hang the future of the program on one kid, something we have seen burn FSU before…cough, cough Sam Howell. Whether you think Norvell is on the hot seat or not, he must focus on the future and building a program as if he is going to be around to run it. Plus, do you think Nick Saban would allow a kid to tell him he can’t take a second QB? Obviously, Florida State is not on the level of Alabama right now, and Norvell isn’t Saban, but you get the point I’m trying to make here. Ultimately, it is a big loss but not one FSU can’t recover from if they manage to land Brock Glenn.

Where does FSU go From Here?

With Parson out of the picture, let’s preview where they go from here. The apparent focus now moves to the previously mentioned 4-star QB Brock Glenn. Hailing from Memphis Tennessee, where Norvell and members of his staff previously coached, they are familiar with Glenn as a prospect and have strong ties in the area.

In my opinion, Glenn fits what Norvell typically likes to do in his normal offense as the 6-foot-2 195-pound quarterback is a more of a pure pocket passer. That’s not saying Glenn can’t still move as he clocked a 4.78 forty time. Also, with the current trajectory of improvement on the offensive line, FSU may not necessarily need another mobile quarterback to help hide the deficiencies. 

When looking back at the production numbers Norvell has had as an offensive coordinator, he has no issue using a quarterback’s legs. Both Taylor Kelly at Arizona State and Jordan Travis at FSU rushed for over 500 yards in multiple seasons. Outside of those two though, his quarterbacks have not cracked the 100-yard rushing mark one time.

However, it is the passing numbers that stand out most for Norvell’s offenses. As sole OC or better, Norvell has never had a season with less than 3,000 passing yards and at least 28 passing touchdowns prior to FSU. Over his career, Norvell’s offenses averaged 466 passing attempts per season. In Norvell’s first full season at FSU, 2021, they had 340 passing attempts. (They only played 9 games in 2020 due to covid)

Jordan Travis has a unique skill set when you factor in his running ability, something that Norvell and staff have relied on. However, taking into consideration those numbers and the other quarterbacks signed under Norvell (Tate Rodemaker & A.J. Duffy) he seems to prefer more of a pocket passing style quarterback.

Brock Glenn has commented on how his current high school runs a similar offense to Mike Norvell’s, which was a positive for him and FSU both. When looking at Glenn’s scouting report, he is noted to have skills in reading the field and processing the game well, and also has a good release that gets the ball out quickly.

Another thing of note is he carries an impressive list of offers which includes LSU and Ohio State among a host of other power 5 offers. I’m not saying Glenn is a future Heisman winner or anything like that, but he would be a good fit for what Norvell, and company need at the position and comes with a high upside.

Whether or not FSU lands Glenn is something only time will tell, we’ve already seen how unpredictable recruiting can be. Who the second quarterback FSU takes also remains to be seen and could come in the form of a transfer after this season. There are obviously a lot of moving parts to this.

Glenn has said he wants to commit before his senior season starts which is coming up soon, so be on the lookout for that. No date has been announced quite yet to my knowledge.

Wrapping up

At the end of the day, there are plenty of ebbs and flows when it comes to recruiting depending on which side of the commitment or decommitment your team is on. But, before you go to grabbing the pitchforks, let’s see how this thing plays out. One thing is for sure, Atkins is stacking the trenches for FSU and that bodes well for building a solid foundation for this program moving forward. (Be sure to checkout our article highlighting “The Atkins Effect” here) Now it’s time to start winning on the field and adding some quality pieces around that foundation. Thanks for reading, Go Noles!

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