Mike Norvell had a two-word message to Alabama transfer offensive lineman TJ Ferguson when he committed to Florida State.

"I'm here."

Despite rumors swirling of the FSU head coach being tied to the Alabama job following the retirement of legendary head coach Nick Saban, Norvell affirmed to Ferguson he'd be sticking around on Jan. 11 when the redshirt sophomore committed to the Seminoles in the transfer portal.

The next day, Norvell inked an 8-year extension which reportedly pays him over $10 million a year.

Ferguson played in five games for Alabama this season, playing 116 total snaps. He made one start, against South Florida, early in the season.

Norvell and his coaching staff recruited Ferguson out of Peach County High in Fort Valley, Georgia. However, Ferguson was far along in his process, so FSU did not have the same opportunity to land him.

But the relationships built then paved the road for him to join them now.

"I definitely say that played a major role in my decision," Ferguson said at a newcomer availability Tuesday. "Coach Norvell and his staff actually got to FSU towards my senior year of high school, so it was a little late in my high school recruiting.

"In the few months that he was there before I decided to commit and go off to college, I made a great relationship with him and the staff. So I feel like it might not have been the right time then. But that played a big role in why I'm here now. I feel like it's the right time now."

Norvell and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins like to use a lot of "counter" in the run game, where a running play starts in one direction but ends in the other direction.

That was something that Ferguson saw himself as a perfect fit in.

"I feel like one of my strong suits, like I said is my athleticism," Ferguson said. "We run a lot of counter kind of gets you moving, pulling sometimes even in space. I love to do and the way that they run the counter here is amazing. I've probably never seen a counter hit so many times in my life just watching film. So I'm excited for that."

Despite FSU finishing 2023 with a perfect 13-0 record, the Seminoles were snubbed of a spot in the 4-team College Football Playoff to 1-loss Alabama and Texas.

The Crimson Tide lost in the semifinal to eventual champion Michigan. Ferguson said he picked FSU for a chance at another playoff run.

"That was a big thing too. That's another reason I chose Florida State. I believe I want to get to the playoffs. I want to win a national championship and I believe this is a place that I can do it," Ferguson said.

"We can do it. Just knowing the guys in the locker room."

Malik Benson enjoyed watching FSU from afar

Malik Benson signed with Alabama instead of the Seminoles following a two-year stint at Hutchinson Community College in Lansing, Kansas.

But like Ferguson, previous relationships, plus the success of Keon Coleman led the 6-foot-1 receiver to believe he'd be a fit in Tallahassee.

"So when I was coming out of JUCO I had a good relationship with Coach [Ron] Dugans and Coach Norvell," Benson said at a newcomer availability Tuesday. "So just when I ended up hitting the portal, I knew that Florida State was going to be a school that I was going to want to go to.

"I just definitely had a lock in the visit and then when I came down here it checked all the boxes and I just fell in love with it and that's why I picked it."

Ferguson had 97 receptions for 2,152 yards and 21 touchdowns in his two years with Hutchinson. Last season with the Crimson Tide he finished with 13 receptions for 162 yards and one score in his lone season in Tuscaloosa.

When Benson was not playing last season, he'd take his time to watch another team, that being FSU. He kept an eye on the offense and Coleman in particular.

Coleman had 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns with the Seminoles last season, including a three-touchdown performance against LSU in the season opener. He transferred in before the season from Michigan State.

"When we weren't playing I watched a lot of Florida State games," Benson said. "So we saw what they did with a Keon and, he was here for a year. So I just wanted to kind of be on the same thing. Like I saw how they used him. I was like, 'Well, I think they could use me like that too.'"

Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei was also a key addition for FSU this offseason.

Since Benson committed, the two have begun to build their relationship.

"Once I committed, [Uiagalelei] texted me, 'Let's work,'" Benson said. "As a quarterback-receiver, [Uiagalelei]'s got to be my best friend. Just every single day we're doing we got to do to get that connection."

Florida State Crimson Tide

The Seminoles have added 15 players in the transfer portal. Exactly one-third of them have been added from Alabama's 2023 roster.

Defensive back Earl Little Jr. was the first player to make the move. Benson followed and then Ferguson joined them. Running back Roydell Williams and linebacker Shawn Murphy soon made decisions to join the Seminoles after.

"Before I committed, there was one other player, Earl," Benson said. "And you know, "I just asked him how he liked I told him I was going to come up on a visit. And I liked it. And then I know some of my other teammates, they, they started getting in the portal, and they just started asking me like that I like it.

"I just told him like, 'Yeah, but you got to come see for yourself.' All of us being here is just like a little brotherhood that was already formed [and] we bring it here. We can bring what we know to this team and it's going to just make the team stronger."

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Mike Norvell told TJ Ferguson he was staying with FSU football