Cole Pepper
Three years ago at this time, Mike Norvell was on the hot seat in Tallahassee. After taking over as the head coach at Florida State, Norvell had won eight games and lost 13 in the first two seasons.
Then, the team took a step forward, winning 10 games and reaching a ranking as high as 11th in the AP poll. The season was capped with a win in the Cheez-It Bowl.
FSU followed up the 2022 season with an undefeated regular season in 2023 and an invitation to the Orange Bowl. It appeared that the Seminoles were back.
Until last year’s disastrous season.
The Noles went from ranked in the top 10 to the program’s first 10-loss season since 1974.
Now, can Norvell guide the Seminoles back into postseason contention?
“I’m excited because of the characteristics that I’ve seen from this team,” Norvell said this week at the ACC Football Kickoff. “You don’t come to Florida State unless you’re willing to embrace the greatest of expectations, because there is a standard, and every day that standard has to show up.
“As we’ve sat there coming off a year that was a disappointing season, we had some real conversations. Ultimately, it wasn’t for everybody. The sacrifice, the investment, the work, the challenge, the confidence that had to be developed, because every team and every player that stands in front of you are going to tell you how confident they are. But for that confidence to be real, it has to be earned. There has to be the work. There has to be the truest belief of being able to embrace that in all things that makes up who you are.”
One of the reasons for the Seminoles’ struggles last season was poor quarterback play. After losing Jordan Travis to graduation, D.J. Uiagalelei, Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek combined to throw just 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2024.
Enter Tommy Castellanos.
The former Boston College quarterback transferred to Florida State after throwing 33 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
“Being a part of Florida State is a dream come true,” Castellanos said. “It’s been my dream school since I was a kid. When they called, and then Coach Gus Malzahn called, I thought it was the right thing to do to be back with him and be a part of Florida State and Coach Norvell.”
Malzahn, the former Auburn and UCF head coach, was brought in as FSU’s offensive coordinator to improve an offense that averaged just 15.4 points per game, 131st nationally.
“Having the opportunity to have Coach Malzahn come and be a part of our staff — it was special,” Norell said.
“It’s somebody that I’ve had a 20-year relationship with. All the respect in the world for the man, just the coach. He’s somebody who infuses confidence in everybody around him because he knows what he wants to do. He knows what he wants it to look like. It’s the belief that he’s able to pour into others, for what it takes on that journey.”
While the offense must improve dramatically, the defense must limit the struggles as well. Florida State allowed 28 points per game and ranked 132nd in turnover margin out of 134 FBS schools last season.
New defensive coordinator Tony White, who served the same role at Nebraska, has changed the defensive alignment to a 3-3-5 look in hopes of turning the unit around.
“What I like most about the scheme, schematically, it allows us to show our versatility, just play with that edge,” said defensive back Earl Little Jr.
“We can hit you from different points on the field. Like I said, we’re going to wreak havoc for opposing offenses, and we’re just going to fly around. That’s something that coach Tony White emphasizes: being physical and playing with dominant contact, playing with relentless effort. That’s something we harp on, and that’s definitely one of our focal points going into the season. We’re going to put emphasis on that.”
If Florida State is going to look more like the 2023 team than the 2024 version, they’ll be able to show it early in the season. The Seminoles open the campaign by hosting Alabama on Aug. 30. Rivalry games against Miami (Oct. 4) and Florida (Nov. 29) fall later in the season.
