It's safe to say that this is not the start Florida State envisioned entering the 2024 season.
The Seminoles have played three games so far this year and dropped all of them: a 24–21 last-second loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland, a 28–13 beatdown by Boston College, and a 20–12 loss to Memphis.
As a potential fourth loss looms against a solid California team, ESPN analyst and legendary coach Nick Saban put the Seminoles' woes under the microscope on Saturday's edition of College GameDay.
"When it comes to Florida State—they've always taken the 'microwave fix,' I call it," Saban said. "To take a lot of guys from the portal—sometimes that works, sometimes that doesn't.
“Those guys were all in the portal for a reason. You take these guys out of the portal—things don't go the way you thought they were gonna go, maybe you don't have the kind of culture and leadership on your team and the people buying into the leadership that you need to be able to be successful."
Nick Saban talking about Florida State.
— NMD Grant (@NMDgrant) September 21, 2024
“Those guys were all in the portal for a reason.” pic.twitter.com/0mZ15ywgJL
That approach worked well for coach Mike Norvell's squad in 2023, when it won 13 games and the ACC title. It has done quite the opposite in '24.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nick Saban Criticizes Florida State's Litany of Shortcomings With One Blunt Quote.