Seminoles bring back Bowden assistant
Mickey Andrews, Florida State’s distinguished former defensive coordinator, has joined the Seminoles’ football staff as special assistant, head coach Willie Taggart announced Friday.
“I am thrilled to add Coach Andrews to our staff,” Taggart said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge about Florida State’s program as well as the style we will play on defense. Coach Andrews was the architect of some of the best defenses in college football history, and he helped build the FSU dynasty. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff will benefit from having him around our team every day.”
Andrews was Florida State’s defensive coordinator from 1984-2009 under Bobby Bowden. During Andrews’ 26 years on the sideline, the Seminoles put together a 249-71-4 record (.775 winning percentage), won 12 ACC championships, finished inside the top five in the country 14 times and claimed national titles in 1993 and 1999.
“I want to thank Coach Taggart for this opportunity,” Andrews said. “His passion for Florida State has been evident from the first time I met him, and his energy is contagious. I am excited to be part of his staff as he leads Florida State back toward competing for championships, and I’m looking forward to contributing in any way I can.”
Andrews was routinely recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation and brought home the inaugural Broyles Award in 1996, which has since been awarded annually to the best assistant coach in FBS.
He coached 19 first-round NFL draft picks, including nine top-10 selections, and multiple winners of the Thorpe Award, Butkus Award and Lombardi Award. He was inducted into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
FAU: On the first day of fall camp, quarterbacks Chris Robison and De’Andre Johnson continued their offseason-long battle for the starting job in a practice mostly closed to media.
Though both showed flashes to open camp, coach Lane Kiffin said the two struggled with turnovers and need to improve in the coming weeks.
Both Johnson and Kiffin said the redshirt junior’s arm is back to 100 percent after emergency surgery for blood clots in his arm last September.
“Whenever you’re in a competition or anything like that, I take the approach of being in competition with myself,” Johnson said. “I never compete with another guy at my position or anything like that. I’m competing against the defense.”
FAU will practice 13 times in the next 15 days before the team’s annual media day and football fan-fest on Aug. 19.
■ Motor for Heisman: Junior running back Devin “Motor” Singletary said he’s enjoying the school campaigning for the former American Heritage star to win the Heisman Trophy.
Singletary, 20, ran for 1,920 yards and an FBS-best 32 rushing touchdowns last season, inspiring the school’s the #Motor4Heisman movement.
“It’s a blessing to see the university behind me and behind the team like that,” Singletary said. “I’m thankful.”
Hoping to draw more attention both to the AP All-American and the school as a whole, the university placed a billboard with Singletary titled “Heisman in Paradise” off I-95 last month. Though Singletary has yet to see the billboard, he repeatedly expressed how grateful he is for the opportunity.