Florida State did not have the 2024 season that it wanted as it finished with a 2-10 record. The result of the disaster was that head football coach Mike Norvell made six new coaching staff changes. Coach Norvell used to emphasize continuity at one point in time, but when adversity strikes, he elected to go to comfortability with hiring Gus Malzahn to be his offensive coordinator.
Norvell was once regarded as an innovative offensive mind in college football. However, after a 2-10 record where it saw Florida State score a measly 15 points per game, the move to Malzahn made sense, especially since he coached with him at Tulsa.
There are times when Coach Malzahn can be a polarizing offensive coach, where he prioritizes the running game to establish a physical attack. With that said, quarterbacks get nervous because they see the way that he uses running backs and think that they won't have many passing opportunities.
Florida State originally had four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel from Newbury Park, California, committed in its 2026 recruiting cycle, but he backed off of his pledge when Malzahn was hired as the offensive coordinator.
Did Brady Smigiel make a rash decision backing off because of Gus Malzahn's hiring?
Smigiel did not get recruited to come to Florida State to play under Gus Malzahn. The full intention was to play in a Mike Norvell offense. While Malzahn's offense has some similar qualities to Norvell, with being in the same coaching tree, Smigiel is a different type of passer as he recorded over 4,000+ yards and 50 touchdowns last season in high school.
This isn't to say that the California native would have stuck around a 2-10 program even if the Malzahn hiring didn't happen. However, the Seminoles are struggling to land a quarterback in their 2026 class as they have had to turn in a different direction, as four-star Landon Duckworth and four-star Bowe Bentley are trending elsewhere. Four-star Jaden O'Neal is a target to monitor, though.
Smigiel was originally selected to commit to Washington, then South Carolina has gotten involved. The Michigan Wolverines are now the leader in his recruitment via the crystal ball prediction by On3's Steve Wiltfong.
I never want to question a prospect's decision, even if he doesn't choose Florida State, but it makes me wonder what the talented quarterback is thinking with potentially choosing the Wolverines with highly-coveted Bryce Underwood under center.
I wish that Smigiel had stuck around at Florida State because I think he is a very good quarterback who could be a household name. However, life will go on, and I hope it works out for both parties.