FSU’s head coach, Mike Norvell, had his mentor and offensive maestro, Gus Malzahn, as offensive playcaller, and the program was poised to go big. Instead, the Noles registered just five wins in 2025, and Malzahn retired to focus on his family. Now that Norvell is in the hottest seat in the country, he is resorting to something familiar in taking over the playcalling duties.

“With some of the developments within our program, the hiring of John Garrett and Taylor Edwards in our personnel and recruiting department, I think, has really allowed me a lot more flexibility to do the things that are necessary,” Norvell said on ESPN’s Inside Access podcast’s February 11 episode. “Being able to promote Tim Harris as our new offensive coordinator.

Tim is a wonderful leader of men and has done a great job and has been in this role before. This is an offense that is built for playmakers, and I feel like we’ve got a great number of playmakers within this offense, and we’ll be able to utilize their skills and their talents and showcase that in a variety of different ways,” Mike Norvell added.

Gus Malzahn has left a Noles’ offense that stood at the top in key metrics. The team ranked 1st in the ACC in yards per game, 3rd in scoring, and 1st in third-down conversions. That was the reason why they began last season with a bang against Alabama. However, the defense never held its end of the bargain. And going by Norvell’s words, he may retain some of Malzahn’s principles.

“I think foundationally, there are so many things that carried over throughout the years… It is still about the 2026 Florida State football team and this offense,” Mike Norvell expanded. The FSU head coach also learned his playcalling craft under Malzahn when he served as his assistant at Tulsa. That could see the core tempo-based attacking schemes retained.

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However, given Noles’ 2026 transfer class, which saw 23 incoming transfers, including QB Ashton Daniels, an RPO-based offense will likely be on the cards. Incoming transfers like Texas’ Quintrevion Wisner and Ousmane Kromah also signal just that. Additionally, Norvell has brought in coaches like Tim Harris Jr. as OC and Herb Hand as OL coach, along with Kam Martin as RBs coach, all of whom share a similar offensive philosophy.

FSU’s QB1 expresses faith in Mike Norvell’s playcalling skills

Florida State’s 2026 transfer additions include illustrious players such as Auburn’s Xavier Chaplin and UNC’s Mikai Gbayor. However, many highlighted the weak job Norvell had done with his QB room. With QBs like Dylan Raiola, Sam Leavitt, Brendan Sorsby, and Darian Mensah already available, choosing Daniels has raised questions. He has a career efficiency of just 60.2%. But he is ready to repay the faith Mike Norvell has put in him.

“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,” Daniels said.

“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,” the former Auburn and Stanford QB added.

This isn’t Norvell’s first time calling plays for FSU. During the 2023 ACC Championship season, his offense averaged 34.6 points per game. Norvell’s tempo-driven creative calls maximized Jordan Travis’ ability, leading to explosive passing and rushing balance. Even in Norvell’s 2022 season, his offense ranked 15th nationally and 2nd in the ACC, and averaged 36.1 points per game.

However, Norvell’s 2024 season, which yielded just two wins, raises doubts. That year, FSU’s total offense stood third-last in the nation, accumulating just 270 yards per game. Scoring offense was also similar, and the team could notch just 15.4 yards per game. That alone makes the move risky.