Kirk Herbstreit thinks major ACC program has a culture problem
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Florida State Seminoles have had a rough few years since Jimbo Fisher left Tallahassee.
Now, as they prepare to enter the first year under new head coach Mike Norvell, they’ll need to fix some fundamental problems within their facilities.
This week, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said on the “CFB Podcast with Herbie, Pollack and Negandhi” that he thinks the biggest thing Norvell needs to change is a culture problem (via 247Sports):
“I’ve (covered) a ton of Florida State games since (Jameis Winston) was there beyond. And I think that they had a culture problem when Jimbo was there, and I think it became more about me and less about we. I think it was all about getting to the league, and I think the first time they would lose a game they lost the team,” Herbstreit said. “Because he could get them to buy into, ‘Hey we’re gonna go to the national championship,’ and then as soon as they would lose a game that would go off the rails now it was they’re more focused on themselves and their individual status.
“And I think that started to happen when Jimbo’s there, and then I think that’s what (Willie Taggart) inherited. And I think Willie tried to change that, and I remember calling a game, Virginia Tech it was a labor day night game… and I remember talking to the players about that. And (former FSU defensive end) Brian Burns was in the room, who’s in the NFL now, and he and he said, ‘Man we we had an issue with guys that were more focused on their individual careers, we’ve got that all out of here, we’re focused on the team now,’ and that was a first game before Willie Taggart had coached a game. And then I kind of saw a lot of the same characteristics and personality. So that’s almost like a cancer that’s come into Tallahassee.”
The Seminoles have a lot of talent, but haven’t lived up to expectations in recent years. Will that change in 2020? We’ll find out soon enough.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
