Florida State football: 5 realistic candidates to replace Mike Norvell

1. Deion Sanders, Jackson State head coach

Around his duties for NFL Network, Sanders cut his teeth in coaching at the high school level before taking the head coaching job at Jackson State. Beyond any success he enjoys there, now into his second season (2-0, 6-3 overall), he has become a high-profile champion for HBCUs and the players at those schools.

Sanders is of course a former Florida State player, with his “Prime Time” persona rooted in Tallahassee when he played for the legendary Bobby Bowden. The current state of the program has to be something he’s watching, and he’s probably concerned about it.

Beyond any coaching acumen, he has, recruiting should not be an issue for Sanders. He knows what it takes to get to and have a long career in the NFL, and that’s what top-end high school recruits automatically have their eye on. Once something of an NFL factory, with an epic streak of drafts with some drafted still intact, the Seminoles had just four players drafted this year and only one (cornerback Asante Samuel Jr.) in the first 130 picks.

After the abysmal end of Fisher’s tenure and now into four dismal seasons since, Florida State needs to bring some excitement back to the football program. Sanders would be the No. 1 guy to do that, and success on the field would ideally follow.