TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – One day after being named the next football coach at FSU, Mike Norvell didn’t have to look far for his first assistant coach.
The former Memphis head coach announced Monday that longtime assistant Odell Haggins will remain on the staff in 2020.
Haggins will serve as associate head coach and defensive line coach.
Entering his 27th season at his alma mater, Haggins will be the longest-tenured assistant coach in the nation.
“I’m extremely excited to announce that coach Odell Haggins will be my first official assistant coach here at Florida State,” Norvell said in a statement. “He is an incredible representative of Florida State football, a tremendous leader and teacher and a wonderful man. His knowledge and understanding of the 'Nole way will be critical in our pursuit of excellence for this football team on and off the field.”
Haggins has been an assistant for the Seminoles since 1994, first serving under Bobby Bowden and later under Jimbo Fisher and Willie Taggart.
He is in his second stint as interim head coach, leading the Seminoles to a 2-1 record after Taggart was fired last month and a 2-0 record after Fisher left for Texas A&M in 2017.
Haggins was a four-year letterman for Bowden from 1986-89. He returned to Florida State to coach tight ends and the offensive line for two seasons before moving to the defensive side of the football in 1996.
Florida State will play Arizona State in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve. It hasn’t yet been announced whether Norvell or Haggins will coach the Seminoles in the game.