Mike Norvell and Florida State flex a unique feature heading to the spring portal recruitment. Their 2026 class of recruits features solely the in-state talents, with all seven signees playing their high school football within the state of Florida. Mike Norvell has been a constant advocate of developing the Sunshine State’s talent but has significantly struggled to keep them home, often losing them to their two in-state rivals, the Florida Gators and Miami. But guess what? It’s no longer just the homebodies fighting each other over the in-state talents. They have a hidden foe lurking behind the bar for their turn to show up and trap all the fish in their bowl. This freaking menace is none other than the independent giant in the house, Syracuse and Fran Brown.
Syracuse head football coach Fran Brown is generating a lot of buzz in his first year with the Cuse. Brown led the Orange to its first 10-win campaign since 2018 and just the third double-digit win season since 2000. Syracuse defeated three AP Top-25 teams in a remarkable season, crafting a record of the most in a single season for the university since 1998. The feat didn’t go unnoticed by the NCAA, which crowned him with the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award Newcomer Coach of the Year honor following a historic season under his belt. But it’s not just about the raw win and loss counts; he is nailing it off the field as well, swooping in some strong early contenders in the 2026 class from the portal.
But it doesn’t bode well with the two Florida coaches, Mike Norvell and Billy Napier, for obvious reasons. Brown reportedly plays an instrumental role in poaching the home-grown talent of Florida, reinforcing his upcoming years at Syracuse. Starting with Jarius Rodgers, the standout Edge prospect from Fleming Island, Florida, and four-star offensive tackle Javeion Cooper, Brown boasts multiple Fla. players on the coveted list of the 2026 class. But this is not the end. As per insider Brian Smith, they will land at least 7 Florida recruits down the stretch. He reasserted the head pain for the Gators and the Seminoles after an update from Locked on the portal confirmed that Syracuse is gaining the upper hand in Florida.
Prediction: For 2026, the #Cuse lands at least 7 Florida recruits https://t.co/5juXvhvCcB
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) March 3, 2025
Syracuse’s recruiting class ranks among the most active nationally, trailing only Oregon and Texas A&M in total commitments, according to 247Sports. Among other standout efforts, the Syracuse coaching staff, under head coach Fran Brown’s wise stewardship, made it clear how much they were to land another Florida talent, Calvin Russell, by re-offering him a scholarship on January 20 of last year. While he’s still jiggling up with his options from all over the country, there’s a fair chance that Syracuse will cut the top schools’ list of the third-best wide receivers in the nation.
The most laudable secret of an elite program is building elite recruiting hands over the competitors, and it seems first-year head coach Fran Brown knows the math better than anyone in his rank. He has to, after all, indulge in a lofty championship dream for a program that has long been out of the national focus.
Fran Brown is making Syracuse Orange a powerhouse
After finishing the regular season at 9-3, Brown dares to dream more, and quite rightfully so. It’s time to live by his iconic words, suggesting Syracuse is back. So what is he aiming for? Yes, you guessed it right, for the moon.
If you go through history and do some research, you can realize how unfathomable and uncanny it is for a team from the northeast to win a Natty, but if they have an overachiever coach like Brown, never say never. Since 2006, teams from the south have won every national championship except two (Ohio State in 2014 and Michigan in 2023). Penn State was the last team from the northeast to win a national title in 1986.
But Brown doesn’t know any barriers. He believes in setting the history rather than letting his mojo be restricted by it. Growing up in Camden, Brown always dug a promising fact that schools like Syracuse, Penn State, and Pittsburgh—which all took center stage (winning the national championship) once in their history. So, there is still a chance (no matter how slim it is)
He refuses to agree that Syracuse is left behind in the crazy transfer portal competition and the growing NIL era because it does not bolster the same amount of money as the top-tier football programs in the power two conferences (SEC and Big 10)
“How can you say we don’t have what they have?” Brown asks. “You’ve got to talk to the players to see what they want, and if I’m developing you the right way, are you going to leave here for $20,000? Is that all you’re looking at your future to be about?” The answer remains a subject to open debate, carrying on a lot of different parameters, mostly the individual preferences of the talents, but Brown is taking some realistic steps toward his dream, regardless.
The post Mike Norvell & Billy Napier on High Alert as FSU Insider’s Bombshell on ACC Rival Set to Shake up State of Florida appeared first on EssentiallySports.
