Florida State football is in the process of spring practice. It is a slow offseason period as the fan base wants to see the program elevate to a stable after accumulating a 2-10 record in 2024. Most individuals do not care about the coaching staff being high on the team, they want to see results.
I have struggled to navigate this when writing content that the fan base would be interested in. Head football coach Mike Norvell was so high on the 2024 squad before they wet the bed.
Nonetheless, I want to highlight five things that we have learned since spring practice started for the Florida State football program.
1. QB THOMAS CASTELLANOS WILL BRING ANOTHER DIMENSION TO THE OFFENSE
Florida State added quarterback transfer DJ Uiagalelei last offseason. The move to bring in Uiagalelei was thought to add a strong-armed veteran leader who could keep the offense afloat as the program moved on from the do-it-all Jordan Travis.
Disclaimer: The acquisition was a disaster.
Uiagalelei suffered a season-ending injury versus SMU and the Seminoles had to depend on the youngsters Luke Kromenhoek and Brock Glenn. Florida State had to come back to the transfer portal as Kromenhoek signed with Mississippi State. They picked up former UCF and Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos.
Uiagalelei was a statue in the pocket last year. Castellanos was recruited by the Seminoles previously in the 2022 recruiting class as a running back. However, he is now brought in as a quarterback after getting benched last year by Bill O'Brien. The program has PTSD from last year, but Castellanos having over 1,000+ rushing yards in 2023, so they are hoping that he brings that same production.
2. THE RUNNING GAME WILL BE MUCH BETTER
Florida State struggled to run the football in 2024. This was after the coaching staff said that the team's strength would be carrying the rock. Fast forward to the end of the season, the Seminoles finished with 89 rushing yards per game.
Florida State decided to change their approach offensively as they added Gus Malzahn to be their offensive coordinator. His offenses have always been known to run the football throughout the years. While I know that they only added four-star signee Ousmane Kromah (who will be enrolled in the summer), it cannot get much worse than last year.
3. OFFENSIVE LINE WILL BE CAPABLE OF CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
The offensive line, much like the entire offense, was terrible in 2024. There is no way to sugarcoat it. Florida State fired offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins at the end of the year. With the pickup of Gus Malzahn, they brought in an offensive line coach Herb Hand who has experience with Malzahn at UCF.
Hand added several offensive linemen in the transfer portal who have experience and success at previous stops. Much like last year, the Seminoles' offensive line had a similar story. Will this season be different? Coach Hand has had successful stops at several Power Five schools such as Texas, Auburn, Penn State, and Vanderbilt.
Much like the running game, it can only go up in production from 2025.
4. DEFENSE WILL FORCE MORE TAKEAWAYS
I know this isn't a high bar to clear as Florida State's defense only had six turnovers (two fumbles and four interceptions) last year, which ranked No. 131 in the FBS. The Seminoles fired defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and added Nebraska's Tony White.
White has been known for having an aggressive defensive unit where the Cornhuskers ranked No. 67 in the FBS in takeaways with 17 (six fumbles and eleven interceptions). The rising coordinator is trying to emphasize being more aggressive. With playing the likes of Alabama, Miami, Clemson, North Carolina State, and Florida, the defense will have to play with its hair on fire.
5. HAVING VETERAN LINEBACKERS WILL HELP THE DEFENSE
Florida State knows that it helped tremendously by having veteran linebackers in its defense during the 2023 season with Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune. Those players put their hearts on the line as they were key in being able to set the tone for a physical defense.
One aspect that the Seminoles hope to improve on is linebackers coming down in run support and covering in space. Florida State has promising pieces such as Omar Graham Jr., Justin Cryer, and Blake Nichelson in the rotation, but they likely need more to get over the hump.
The coaching staff added veteran transfers Elijah Herring (Tennessee and Memphis) and Stefon Thompson (Syracuse and Nebraska) who have accumulated over 300 total tackles together in their collegiate careers. That level of experience will be beneficial in helping the defense be successful.