Florida State football held its first spring scrimmage this morning. The Seminoles want to eliminate the bad taste in their mouths from last year, as they finished with a 2-10 record.
I cannot even begin to explain how unbelievable that feat was in 2024. Head football coach Mike Norvell knew that major changes needed to be made since Florida State is used to competing for conference and national championships.
The Seminoles added six new coaches to the staff. The talk of the offseason was the overhaul of the offensive unit. For many reasons, Florida State's offense was one of the worst in the country last year. Norvell handed the keys to the offense to former UCF head football coach Gus Malzahn.
While individuals are heavily focused on the offense, I would like to remind fans that Norvell also made a change on the defensive side of the football where he fired Adam Fuller and hired Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White.
The defense has many new pieces that it will showcase his upcoming year as they get ready to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in twenty-two weeks in the newly-renovated Doak Campbell Stadium.
Fans forget about some of the returning pieces on the roster from last year. Coach White went out of his way to discuss redshirt junior defensive back Earl Little Jr. in the media session after the spring scrimmage on Saturday:
"Earl has made some of the biggest hits and some of the best plays all camp. He is HIM. He is truly HIM back there and it’s fun to watch the things that you can do with him."
That is high praise for Little Jr.
I was super excited for the Seminoles when they picked him up last season. Florida State was heavily involved with him in the recruitment process before he chose the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The former four-star prospect played in all twelve games last season, where he recorded 15 tackles (one for loss) and one sack. He was a reserve. The biggest update with Little Jr. in 2024 was that he switched from nickel cornerback to safety halfway through the year.
It looks like the former American Heritage High School standout is starting to get some familiarity with the safety position. Veteran Shyheim Brown is returning, but they need to find out who will be paired alongside him at the safety spot in 2025.
It would be amazing to see Little Jr. compete against his former team and play well.