Mike Norvell is reshaping his staff after Gus Malzahn’s sudden retirement. While he promoted Co-offensive coordinator Tim Harris to a permanent role, the Florida State head coach is further revamping the coaching room by adding a former coach who worked under Manny Diaz back in 2019.

Mike Norvell has added ex-Auburn assistant QBs coach Jesse Stone to the FSU staff, as per John Brice of FootballScoop. The move is a clear attempt to address the offensive inconsistencies that plagued FSU’s 2025 season.

Interestingly, Stone also has a connection with the retiring Noles’ OC Gus Malzahn. Malzahn and Stone previously worked together at UCF, where the ex-Miami coach served as an offensive analyst for QBs on Malzahn’s staff in 2021. Stone’s career often kept him within Malzahn’s coaching circle.

After Malzahn’s tenure as Auburn’s head coach from 2013 to 2020, Stone joined the Tigers’ staff in 2023, further strengthening their professional connection. Now, Stone will join the Seminoles as assistant QBs coach, keeping the same role he held during his three seasons at Auburn. As a former college QB himself, Stone brings a deep understanding of the position. His resume is built on experience with elite programs.

In 2022, he joined Hugh Freeze’s staff at Liberty and followed him to Auburn ahead of the 2023 season. His coaching path also includes stops at Arkansas, UCF, Miami, and Georgia, with multiple SEC roles focused on QB development. During his time in Arkansas, he even handled offensive personnel duties. Considering that, Stone seems a perfect fit for FSU. The timing also backs that up.

In 2025, as Norvell has recorded his fourth losing season in six years, changes across the roster and staff are needed. While his overall record is sitting at 38–34, the urgency is real in Tallahassee.

Although Jesse Stone is stepping in to replace Tony Tokarz, staff changes don’t usually occur when results fall short of expectations. But some staffers who get sacked go on to achieve bigger things. The same thing happened to a coach once fired by Mike Norvell at FSU, who has revived his career. In fact, more opportunities now seem to be coming his way.

Mike Norvell moved on, but the NFL believed

When seasons fall apart, blame travels fast, and in Tallahassee, Adam Fuller became the easy answer. While FSU’s 2024 collapse ended with just two wins, the defensive coordinator paid the price as he was fired. However, the DC’s coaching reputation never dipped. That’s why his rebound was quick.

As a safeties coach, Fuller landed in the NFL. Now, he’s being considered for an NFL DC job. After Jesse Minter left for a head coaching role, the Los Angeles Chargers have already completed an interview with a former FSU DC. This level of interest proves Fuller showed enough talent.

That belief is backed by his run at Florida State. Fuller arrived in 2020 alongside Mike Norvell, after the duo led Memphis to 12 wins and a conference title. Even during a rebuilding year at FSU, Fuller developed future pros. Under his watch, ex-FSU CB Asante Samuel Jr. became a second-round NFL Draft pick.

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Then FSU ranked seventh nationally in red-zone defense in 2021. On top of that, Fuller rebuilt a defense with a split-field concept; that scheme was the separator. Now he’s eyeing bigger opportunities, while Mike Norvell remains focused on making the 2026 season count.