The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Transfer gets to face former Irish teammates
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Dillan Gibbons is back in the Sunshine State, and the Florida State offensive lineman will be reunited with not just family when the Seminoles take on No. 9 Notre Dame but a large 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 tonight against some former teammates along the Fighting Irish’s defensive line.
“I’ve gone against those guys for thousands of reps,” Gibbons 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 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-American guard Cain Madden (from Marshall), who were brought in to strengthen the offense.
How the transfers on both sides perform will likely go a long way toward determining the outcome tonight.
Madden is an exceptional plugand-play piece to a Notre Dame offensive line that has reloaded after seeing three linemen selected in 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) along with Chris Tyree and C’Bo Flemister.
Some other things to look in tonight’s matchup:
Bowden remembered: Florida State will honor coaching great Bobby Bowden, who died at 91 of pancreatic cancer 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.
Energy returns to Doak: Due to pandemic protocols in 2020, crowds were limited to roughly 25% of Doak Campbell Stadium’s 79,560-fan capacity. Tonight’s game is not a sellout, but it’s expected to be an energized crowd. Players are looking forward to the return of a typical game-day atmosphere.
“We’re just ready to get back to some sort of normalcy because we haven’t seen that the past two years,” Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton said. “The guys are ready to get out there before an away crowd, which wants us to lose, and it’s an environment we haven’t felt in a while.”
Milton’s FSU debut: McKenzie Milton has not played football since suffering a traumatic leg injury in November 2018 while playing at UCF. Milton is listed as a co-starter on the Florida State depth chart, although coach Mike Norvell hasn’t given an indication as to whether Milton will start or if he could be used in some role to complement Jordan Travis.