Okay, we all know how much deep water Mike Norvell’s Florida State Seminoles landed in last season. They wrapped it up with a 2-10 overall record. Yes, that’s how their wheels fell off. Things went so bad that even the HC’s buyout numbers worth $64,132,500 started to do rounds. Now was the 2024 season a trailer of what 2025 is going to be? 

Looks like there is someone who is going to turn the Seminoles’ luck for the better. That’s none other than their new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. Yes, the former Auburn HC nearly beat Florida State in the 2013 national champion game (34-31). Now, he is ready with pen and paper to write a new story for Norvell’s program. 

Gus Malzahn’s vision for 2025

Florida State football has not been synonymous with losing for a long time. Thanks to their former HC Bobby Bowden who gifted them a long stretch of successful years from 1976 to 2009. So, after 34 years, Norvell’s 2024 chapter became more challenging for FSU fans to swallow. Even though in 2022, under Norvell, the Seminoles won 10 games and 13 in 2023, the whole picture changed in 2024. The last time they were this bad was back in 1973, under HC Larry Jones when the Seminoles did not win a single game. The next year when Darrell Mudra was hired, they were 1-10. Now, Malzahn has taken the responsibility to change Florida State’s picture. Won’t he take revenge for the 2013 snub?

Near Malzahn’s new office hangs a picture of Kelvin Benjamin hauling in a touchdown pass from Jameis Winston. The play that helped Florida State beat Malzahn and his Tigers. But so what? Now he is all set to strengthen Norvell’s boys’ foundation while evaluation can wait. On March 17, in the 2025 FSU Football Coaches Luncheon Press Conference he assured, “I’m looking forward to identifying our strengths also and then evaluating our players. So spring will be um really more foundation-oriented than scheme-oriented… We’re going to play fast. We’re going to be demanding like I said we’re going to run it downhill we’re going to throw it deep.” Now who is going to be running the show?

Malzahn sounded confident about Norvell’s QB Brock Glenn. Last season, when their starter DJ Uiagalelei sustained a broken finger in their loss to SMU, Glenn’s turn came. The former Lausanne quarterback started for the Seminoles in their home game against Clemson. He scrambled for 10 yards on 4th-and-9 vs. Clemson, one of FSU’s season-high four fourth–down conversions. Malzahn thus was all praise about his QB. “Brock’s a winner and you can tell that whether it’s tour duty matt drills and his attention to detail walkthroughs meetings and all that, he’s a veteran guy.” Norvell’s OC is not going to carry last year’s bad experience rather he is focussing on a fresh start. 

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“Like I said, last year’s last year. Everything’s starting from ground zero and just giving everybody an equal opportunity to show what they can do and that’s the mindset.” Talking about the mindset, HC Norvell too wants no distraction for the Seminoles.  

Mike Norvell’s boys are all set to bounce back from 2-10 season  

Well, when it comes to Florida State, they have always been open with the media during their previous seasons. Sadly, this came to an end on the morning of March 17. Florida State football opens spring practice on Wednesday (March 19). Sports reporter Alison Posey tweeted about how the Seminoles broke away from the tradition. “We were just informed that Florida State’s spring practice will be closed to the media save one scrimmage.” It also had Norvell’s statement. 

The Florida State HC’s reasoning comes to: “In a day and age where so many people have access to our players, I want to create an atmosphere free of outside perspectives during our time of preparation and development.” While many must be under the notion that Norvell does not want to take any more risk given their disappointing 2-10 season. However, that is not the situation. They now have too many things on their plate that they need to fix in 2025. 

Maybe that’s why the HC shuts the door to that ‘outside noise’ that might hinder their rebound process. With this, Mike Norvell lets go of his ‘generous’ tag when Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher limited practice to media members. With Florida State football trying to move conferences, gain back respectability in the win column, and obtain championship stability, the Seminoles have turned their focus mode on.