OT LUCAS SIMMONS
Florida State's offensive line was a complete disaster during the 2024 season. The Seminoles decided to part ways with offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins.
Atkins was a tremendous recruiter who relayed well with high school prospects. We saw committed prospects go elsewhere because of his departure such as Solomon Thomas (LSU) and Peyton Joseph (Georgia Tech).
The Seminoles decided to hire former UCF offensive line coach Herb Hand, who has been through a solid transfer portal class that features Gunnar Hansen, Micah Pettus, Adrian Medley, and Luke Petitbon.
The biggest reason for moving on from Alex Atkins was his ability to develop talent with his recruiting classes and an overreliance on the transfer portal. One name that I monitoring to see developed more is Lucas Simmons.
This is shaping up to be a pivotal year of development for Florida State offensive tackle Lucas Simmons. The former four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle has not played much during his time with the Seminoles. Hansen and Pettus should be the starting offensive tackles, but Simmons has to continue to develop.
It is frustrating that the coaching staff has not found a way to get the 6'8" and 310-pound offensive lineman on the field. Simmons only played on special teams during the 2024 season. However, it would be worthy watching him as a backup tackle.