Florida State football did not have the season that it wanted in 2024 as it went 2-10 on the year. This was a growing experience for head football coach Mike Norvell and the entire organization.
Norvell knew that what transpired in 2024 could not happen again in a place like Florida State. There is a standard at Florida State that is filled with championship-level success. I am glad that Norvell realized that and understood that major changes were needed.
He went out of his way to fire assistant coaches that no longer met that standard. The offensive side of the football was so horrific last year that it was inexcusable. They ranked towards the bottom in terms of total offense.
That was not the offense built for playmakers. That was an offense that could not throw deep shots down the field, block in the running game or passing game, and had receivers dropping the football consistently.
As a result, Norvell went out and hired Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator, Tim Harris Jr. as wide receivers coach, and Herb Hand as offensive line coach. Some fans criticize the move since the UCF Knights went 4-8 last year, but they did not seem to realize that the program had a top-20 offense in 2024.
The relationships early on that were established by Herb Hand did not seem to help Florida State in the transfer portal, with former UCF offensive linemen Caden Kitler (Arkansas) and Marcellus Marshall (Minnesota) committing elsewhere.
However, the Seminoles were able to have some good news on Saturday as former UCF offensive lineman Adrian Medley committed to Florida State. Medley started all 12 games with the Knights last year at right tackle. The Seminoles want him to play the left guard position.
Medley visited Florida State recently and made it clear that relationships played a huge part in his recruitment. This was a solid get to have a veteran that Coach Hand is aware of and can be a solid piece to build the offensive line into a respectable unit.