FSU Fans Done with Norvell
- Thread starter PrestonyteParrot
- Start date
Notably, FSU is 0-2 against SMU since their lawsuit against the ACC, which stated that adding SMU would tarnish the league brand.
They decided to keep him and spend more money on NIL, or was it because they were in debt over that awesome stadium improvement that couldn't even keep the lights on?
Either way, I thinking we've hit the limit of FSU's patience. He needs to rebound NOW or hes gone.
They were done last year. Supposedly, a few big money boosters agreed to freeze their NIL contributions to accelerate his fall this season.
The fans have been done for a while. The only thing that has saved him is his buyout.
Buyouts create these situations where nobody wants the coach around any longer but they can't afford to get rid of him.
Buyouts create these situations where nobody wants the coach around any longer but they can't afford to get rid of him.
The problem is they still owe Norvell like $45 million so they have a Daboesque issue. They gave him a massive contract after winning the ACC in 2023.
Gonna be 1-5 after that. No way they win any. 51 million buyout, so he's not going anywhere unless someone with really deep pockets steps up.
Yeah. Schools get stuck in these situations b/c of the ridiculous buyouts. They don't want the coach around but they can't afford to fire him so they are forced to retain him as more and more damage is inflicted on the program setting them farther and farther behind. But the damage being done by retaining the coach also has its own financial cost.
Free Shoes University, home of Jameis the Rapist and the Great Crab Leg Scandal claiming ANY team is going to tarnish any reputation is rich.
Dabo's buyout is 56 mil. Their talking about it up in the hills. Both are financially handcuffed to the ACC. Funny parallels.
Yeah, I cannot see Clemson coughing up that kind of dough. Especially to fire a coach who has won them 2 national titles.
When he wins 8 or 9 games this season, their now delusional fans will be wanting his head on a platter. Their poor AD will be looking at a fan base that wants a coach fired who won 9 games. Clemson's five or so year run at the top of college football has spoiled their fan base for the foreseeable future. They are in a similar mindset SC fans were after the 2013 season. They see themselves as being something much more than what they really are.
If they do find a way to fire Dabo, they need a Muschamp to bring them back down to Earth.
"What have you done for me lately?" - Janet Jackson
They can't raise that dough, but they would if they could. They'd have to convince Dabo to step away, which his pride might force if they have a losing season. This is the first year you can look up that we're higher on 247's team composite rankings. Their recruiting dropped off a cliff last class, and they've been passed by in production Louisville and Virginia, which haven't recruited as well. At a certain point, even he has to know he can't point at the past anymore.
Dabo's only in his 50s, but the game has already passed him by. One pundit noted that that Dabo is the only coach of his ilk who hasn't either retired b/c of NIL/portal or adapted.
He's the lone holdout in all of college football who's trying to do things the traditional way. Reality is, that just won't work anymore.
I know predictive models don't mean a lot right now, but espn has them protected as favorites in 4 games total right now. He won 7 games last year, and they lost 9 draft picks from that team.
Clemson Tigers Scores, Stats and Highlights - ESPN
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Wow! It hasn't been long at all that Clemson wasn't favored in every game on their schedule, most by double digits.I know predictive models don't mean a lot right now, but espn has them protected as favorites in 4 games total right now. He won 7 games last year, and they lost 9 draft picks from that team.
Clemson Tigers Scores, Stats and Highlights - ESPN
Visit ESPN for Clemson Tigers live scores, video highlights, and latest news. Find standings and the full 2026 season schedule.
It appears Dabo is trying to hold back the tide regarding the portal and NIL. He should get through this season, negotiate a settlement that will allow him to walk away on his terms and avoid being fired.
Yeah, just because they have a favorable looking schedule doesn't mean they'll win a ton. Their qb last year was much better than the current one and they won 7 games.I know predictive models don't mean a lot right now, but espn has them protected as favorites in 4 games total right now. He won 7 games last year, and they lost 9 draft picks from that team.
Clemson Tigers Scores, Stats and Highlights - ESPN
Visit ESPN for Clemson Tigers live scores, video highlights, and latest news. Find standings and the full 2026 season schedule.
Dabo is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. I think it would go against every moral fiber in his being to get on board with NIL and the portal in the way that is necessary to compete today.
It's a messy situation. Does Clemson actually fire the best coach in the entire history of their athletics department?
You know, i don't buy at all that it's just NIL. Their 5- stars and 4- stars don't develop like they used to. I think it's more like what happened with Spurrier, or with Mack Brown at Texas. Undetectable low levels of complacency causing just a little less intensity in prep and training. Like the culture died on the vine because he started taking it for granted. He didn't get assistants at the same level he had before.
Here's an example, everyone talks about how much QB dropped off, but what about DL? Just last year, every DL does off from the year before, even the transfer they brought from Purdue. The NIL thing is just cope for up in the hills. It's happened with coaches for years, not just since NIL.
No parallel with Saban either. Saban's last team went 12-2 and was in the CFP. He just didn't enjoy every talk with every player revolving around money and decided he was done. The drop-off never happened, and he probably lost a much as he got out of the portal any year.
That is why it would be best for everyone if Dabo and Clemson got together and worked out a way for Dabo to walk away with his reputation intact and for Clemson to not feel handcuffed to him with the buyout. Dabo isn't going to change how he sees the world. He isn't going to suddenly embrace NIL and the portal and he isn't going to go outside his comfort zone and little circle of asst. coaches he knows and trusts. Bringing in Spiller as RB coach is foolish. Being a great RB doesn't translate automatically into being a good RB coach. It is similar to a company taking their top performing salesman and making him sales manager. It rarely works because the two jobs require entirely different skill sets. Dabo is opposed to players being paid in college. He isn't going to change his mind and think it is acceptable.
Clemson recruiting is going to continue to suffer, the record isn't going to get better and Clemson fans are only going to get more unhappy.
You should check my last reply. They regressed everywhere, was 3/4 blue-chip players just 2 years ago, and UVA is outperforming them in conference with 3- stars, including the transfers.
Good assistant coaches look even better when they are coaching 4 and 5 star players.
Ironically, the buyouts were borne out of a reality in which ADs caved too quickly to the fans and fired a coach for having a down season or two or not producing instantly fantastic results. Fans kind of brought it on themselves.
Dabo was a great coach in the "amatuer" model. (Yes, we all know they weren't really amateur)
He refuses to adapt to this new world, and everyone sees it. I think Clemson is talking to him about gracefully retiring. If not, this year or next hes canned.
I was discussing with a friend of mine who is a Clemson fan and wondered if Clemson even has the NIL war chest to compete at the level they did in their great run. In the previous model, certain teams could build a loaded roster with elite players. It's just downright expensive to do that now. In the tens of millions of dollars.
One of their websites said they had a 30 million dollar budget this year. Id wager that included the 20 million (ish) settlement money.
Enough to be a quality team, but not contender level.
Dabo would be a fool to walk away with a lesser settlement. Fire me, I want that $57-$60 million. He gets to coach somewhere else without his salary reducing the buyout.
Their record the last two years is 7-17. They have to do better than that to be mediocre.
4 losing season in 6 years, with one being 2-10. No one would accept that, let alone a team with less losing season the 50 years before he got there.
How many coaches are willing to coach at the D-III level to maintain that integrity?
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