BETTER THIRD DOWN CONVERSION RATE
Florida State had a revolving door at the quarterback position. The Seminoles started with transfer DJ Uiagalelei, and it did go well, then he suffered a season-ending injury versus SMU. Florida State then turned to younger options that had to grow up in front of our eyes such as Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek.
Glenn and Kromenhoek were supposed to redshirt and sit behind the veteran Uiagalelei and prepare for the 2025 season. It is fascinating to see that Kromenhoek has now transferred to Mississippi State, and Florida State has added transfer Thomas Castellanos this offseason.
With the young quarterbacks being asked to step into the new role, sometimes their clock to get the football out of their hands isn't the greatest. This often leads to more sacks and tackles for loss. Florida State finished 130th in the FBS in third down conversion rate (28.8%).
Former Florida State offensive coordinator and current Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham used to express the importance of staying ahead of the chains. The Seminoles cannot afford to get themselves in second and third down and long situations. UCF finished 57th in this category (41.6%) last season, which is much better than Florida State fared.