FSU football: Why John Papuchis moving to linebackers coach makes sense

FSU football provided more details on what the coaching staff will look like in 2025. There were questions about what positions some coaches would coach, and now we have clarity. FSU's John Papuchis will move from defensive ends to linebackers in 2025, with FSU moving to a 3-3-5 and Randy Shannon no longer on the staff.

There has been some negativity towards the move from a small segment of fans. I understand folks want change, but the amount of negativity about every single thing is ridiculous. Fans are quick to ask why didn't we go and get such and such. Here's the thing with a new defensive coordinator. Conversations were likely had, and Tony White was fine with keeping John Papuchis on the staff as a linebackers coach.

Here's why it makes sense. Papuchis has been a defensive coordinator at two different Power Five programs (Nebraska and North Carolina). His base defense was a 4-3 scheme and he has coached linebackers at two programs (North Carolina and Maryland). In his final season coaching linebackers at North Carolina, guess who led the team in tackles? Two linebackers with 115 and 113 tackles, respectively. Two of the top three tacklers on the Maryland team were linebackers under his watch, and they led the team in tackles for a loss.

He's coached the position before, and having a new defensive coordinator, likely makes him raise his game. The same with the recruiting aspect, which Papuchis somewhat gets a bad rap for. He at least has shown he can get commitments from big-time players at a premium position. The problem was getting those guys to sign, and sometimes it was sheerly about money.

The linebacker position isn't quite the premium position, so I'd anticipate Papuchis probably signing a higher-caliber linebacker profile compared to what Randy Shannon was doing. I know that's a low bar for some, but Papuchis does put forth effort. FSU will also have former great Ernie Sims as an assistant with that group. Papuchis will be fine as long as he can recruit better players to the position.

Former FSU defensive tackle Robert Cooper gave his thoughts below:

He'll also continue to oversee special teams, which have been fairly good under his watch and continues continuity in that phase of the game.