Florida State football, recruiting news: FSU navigating recruiting without a head coach

Recruiting:

One new side effect of firing a head coach before the season’s end is being forced to deal with holding a recruiting class together before the Early Signing Period kicks in. FSU coaches are still out and about, making offers and visiting recruits with less than two weeks before the country’s top players sign. The Seminoles staff has sent out five offers since the contact period kicked off on December 1.

Offensive lineman Marcus Tatum, a former three-star recruit from Daytona Beach, is transferring from Tennessee:

Football:

The wait for a new football coach has gasp officially stretched out five days longer than FSU hoped. Florida State president John Thrasher said at his State of the University address yesterday that news is “coming soon,” but there’s still going to be a wait.

Reports of USC retaining head coach Clay Helton started bubbling up Tuesday and then became pretty accepted Wednesday, meaning Florida State still has a bit of a leg up in the rock wall climbing race to hire a new coach.

Former FSU receiver Nyqwan Murray is headed to land of maple to play for the Toronto Argonauts:

Former Florida State, Atlanta and Tampa running back Warrick Dunn is being honored with the 2019 Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award in recognition of his “longstanding charitable efforts and philanthropy.”

Basketball:

The No. 8 Florida State women’s basketball team is set for its own high-stakes Big 10 matchup, squaring up against No. 19 Michigan State tonight at the Tuck. The game’ll be broadcast on the ACC Network.

FSU men’s hoops, meanwhile, is looking to amp up the team at this Sunday’s game by syncing up flashlights with the FSU Gamedy app:

Volleyball:

Florida State is taking on UCF tonight in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, hosted in Gainesville. The match will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Swimming:

17 current and four former Florida State swimmers are competing in the US Open in Atlanta, which kicked off yesterday and runs through Saturday.