Florida State was dealt a huge blow with the sudden retirement of its offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn. On the one hand, it left a gaping hole in the coaching staff that Mike Norvell filled by promoting Tim Harris Jr., but there’s another side to the news involving the players who came to the Seminoles with the understanding they’d play in a Malzahn offense. Auburn’s transfer, Ashton Daniels, shed light on that aspect.

“I’m very grateful to Coach Malzahn for giving me the opportunity to be here,” Ashton Daniels said on February 4 during his introductory press conference. “He’s an extremely successful coach. I think he now deserves some time to spend with his family, be a dad, and do all the things that he wants to do. So, I’m very grateful for him. But for this offense, we just keep moving.

Obviously, Coach [Mike] Norvell is going to do a great job with the guys we have on this offense. Coach [Tim] Harris is going to do a great job. I think we are on the right foot. Just the way that they’ve come into meetings, offensive meetings, and approached the mindset that we’re going to have for this season and for this offseason is really promising for this offense.”

Daniels arrived at Florida State after spending two years as starting quarterback at Stanford and one season as a backup QB at Auburn. During his time at Stanford, he recorded 3,986 yards for 21 touchdowns and 20 interceptions with a 60.8% completion rate in two seasons. He also had rushed for 1,117 yards for nine scores.

Despite two seasons as a starter, he lost the starting role to Jackson Arnold at Auburn. He served as backup QB most of his time with the Tigers before earning the starting role late in the season. This past season, he recorded 797 passing yards for three touchdowns and two interceptions and ran 289 yards for two touchdowns.

The 6-foot-2 dual-threat quarterback now has one year of eligibility left and arrived at Florida State as a graduate, looking for a starter role.  While he couldn’t be a part of Malzahn’s high-flying offense, he could still finish his collegiate career at his dream school.

“FSU is a dream school for me to be able to finish my college career,” Daniels said after committing to the Seminoles.

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Tim Harris Jr announced as Gus Malzahn’s replacement

Florida State’s OC Gus Malzahn on February 2 announced his sudden retirement from his coaching role, ending his lone season with the Seminoles. Malzahn, in his retirement statement, announced that he wished to spend his time with family. This made Norvell promote Tim Harris Jr. as FSU’s new OC.

“(Gus Malzahn) has set a strong foundation for us to continue building on in 2026 behind the coordination of Tim Harris and the multiple other assistant coaches who are returning,” Norvell said in a statement from FSU. “Coach Harris has a complete understanding of the offensive scheme, and his ability to effectively share that knowledge with his players will continue to be a benefit for our offense.”

Harris is in his second year on Florida State’s staff, having joined as the co-OC and WRs coach for the 2025 season. He helped develop Duce Robinson, who was named in the first-team All-ACC selection for catching 56 passes for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns this past season. He has former OC experience at UCF and FIU. Harris would help lead Ashton Daniels and his group to the 2026 season, with the Spring Bowl practice approaching slowly, in over a month.