Before the 2019 season, then-Memphis head coach Mike Norvell offered then-Marshall defensive coordinator Adam Fuller the same position on his staff. Fuller had spent five seasons with the Thundering Herd but still chose to make the jump — a year later, they were both off to Tallahassee as part of the new coaching staff leading Florida State.
Alex Atkins, serving at Charlotte as an offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, was given his first opportunity to coach at the Power Five level by Norvell when he was brought aboard in 2020. Atkins turned the OL from worst in the P5 into a Joe Moore finalist and inspired enough trust to become offensive coordinator when Kenny Dillingham departed for Oregon.