...Ok, obviously the minute Nick Saban proved that his integrity is reducing quicker than his hairline, this was going to have a major effect of FSU's coaching situation.
And it has.
So let's start to unscramble this puzzle.
What We Know
-- FSU linebackers coach and executive head coach Kevin Steele was offered the position of defensive coordinator at Alabama. This isn't the first time Saban has aggressively went after Steele, he tried to hire him as LB coach for the Dolphins in 2005.
-- Lawrence Dawsey has accepted a position at FSU where he will coach either wide receivers or running backs. He previously held the position of wide receivers coach at USF.
-- Rick Trickett has accepted a position at FSU where he will coach the offensive line. Trickett held a similar position at West Virginia.
-- Jimbo Fisher has been offered positions at both Alabama and Florida State to become the new offensive coordinator. Fisher appeared to be headed to FSU before Nick Saban got the job at Alabama.
What We've Heard...and aren't sure whether to believe:
-- If Kevin Steele goes, FSU will bring in Chuck Amato as the LB coach and executive head coach. This was a pretty silly rumor until a second source told me he was definitely coming back. He can't come back if Steele is there (don't ask why, it's apparently a personal issue).
-- Jimbo Fisher has been offered around $500K to take the offensive coordinator position at FSU. To me that number seems exceptionally high.
-- If Fisher does not take the job, the next in line appears to be Vikings QB coach Kevin Rogers. This I don't believe if only because Bowden knows if he loses Steele and Fisher his recruiting class will be dead.
-- QB coach Daryl Dickey and OL coach Mark McHale have been informally dismissed and their offices have been vacated. This sounds about right and to be honest, it's about damn time.
What We Think:
-- Jimbo Fisher will take the FSU job. The fact that if Fisher revives a struggling FSU offense, he could all but be annointed the next head coach of the Seminoles when Bowden leaves.
-- Kevin Steele will take the Alabama job. Because his chances of taking over the FSU coaching job get slimmer with every mediocre season posted by the Seminoles, one would think Steele will take the promotion to DC and continue to rebuild his resume.
-- Neither Amato or the rumored Joe Kines will take the FSU linebackers job. Kines is another rumor but I'm not taking that seriously since he was such a poor fit at FSU the first time in terms of playing style and recruiting (Ernie Sims clearly said he wouldn't have come to FSU had Kines been their position coach). Meanwhile Amato won't be back unless he's learned some humility and that's a 50/50 proposition. The new LB coach will be younger and possibly a former player (that's a prediction).
-- This will turn out well for FSU. Even if Steele departs, I would gladly trade Steele for Fisher because the offense is so desperately in need of improvement and as you saw in last night's Sugar Bowl, Jimbo's offenses are everything you want to see. The additions of Dawsey and Trickett immediately improve the coaching and recruiting in two areas on the offense. As if Thursday morning, things are looking up.