Friends turn foes as Florida St. fights No. 9 Notre Dame
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Dillan Gibbons is back in the Sunshine State, and the Florida State offensive lineman will be reunited not just with family when the Seminoles take on No. 9 Notre Dame but also with a large a number of old friends from Indiana as well.
The Clearwater, Florida, native will be making his first start for the Seminoles following his transfer this summer from Notre Dame. So Gibbons — who played in 29 games and started against Syracuse in 2020 for Notre Dame — will line up Sunday night against some former teammates along the Fighting Irish defensive line.
“I’ve gone against those guys for thousands of reps,” he said. “Some of those guys are my best friends in the world and they always will be. I’m probably going to have to ruin a few friendships but I’m excited to get after it.”
It also will be the first Florida State game for the majority of the nine transfers that coach Mike Norvell brought in for the 2021 season. In addition to Gibbons, that group includes quarterback McKenzie Milton (UCF), defensive ends Jermaine Johnson (Georgia) and Keir Thomas (South Carolina), and wide receiver Andrew Parchment (Kansas).
Notre Dame will feature a couple of notable transfers as well, quarterback Jack Coan (from Wisconsin) and AP preseason All-America guard Cain Madden (from Marshall), who was brought in to strengthen the offense.
How the transfers perform will likely go a long way toward determining the outcome today.
Madden is an exceptional plug-and-play piece for a Notre Dame offensive line that has reloaded after seeing three linemen selected in the NFL draft. The Fighting Irish will run behind that line, using a trio of backs in Kyren Williams (1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman), Chris Tyree and C’Bo Flemister.
“We’re gonna have to run the football, there’s no doubt,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “Balance to me has always been about, if you’re in a position to run it, you better be good at it. But defined to me is about scoring points and scoring more is going to be having an effective and efficient running game.”
Bowden remembered
Florida State will honor coaching great Bobby Bowden, who died at 91 of pancreatic cancer on Aug. 8, by wearing a back helmet bumper with Bowden’s signature. The coaching staff ’s polo shirts will have a Bowden patch on a sleeve. The “Bobby” signature and his trademark straw hat will also be painted on each 25-yard line. Bowden won national titles in 1993 and ‘99 during his 34 years as Florida State’s head coach.
Coan’s demeanor
Coan has been praised for his accuracy in the pocket as well as leadership. Kelly sees two other key attributes in a starting quarterback.
“Poise would be probably the first one,” Kelly said. “Decisive. We’re not starting a freshman. We’re starting a guy that’s played this game. We want him to be poised, but we want him to be decisive. He’s seen it and knows what it looks like.”