The Florida State fan base will be intrigued about the Seminoles' offensive unit in 2025. This is for good reason since the program had one of its worst offenses in school history last year.
Florida State went 2-10 and that is never the standard at this university, which is used to competing for conference and national championships. Fans believe that newly-hired offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will transform the offense into something special. Individuals remember his time with Auburn and even UCF and believe that the offense will be good again, sooner rather than later.
Head football coach Mike Norvell made another hire away from his coaching circle with Nebraska's Tony White as the new defensive coordinator.
While I did not believe like a large portion of the fan base that former defensive coordinator Adam Fuller needed to be a scapegoat for the Seminoles' struggles in 2024, it was likely time for a change in the voice on the defensive side of the football.
White had an exceptional defensive unit in 2024 where ranked 14th in rushing defense, 19th in total defense, and 20th in scoring defense with the Cornhuskers. The most surprising factor to me was that Nebraska held ten teams without a rushing touchdown last year.
Florida State had its second spring scrimmage on Saturday. Head football coach Mike Norvell mentioned that the defense controlled the scrimmage versus the offense. While I understand that the offense was missing some offensive linemen and wide receivers, it was still impressive to see the defense play with aggression.
The Seminoles struggled to stop the run last year where it allowed 184.7 rushing yards per game. White's multiple 3-3-5 defensive scheme calls for his defenses to be physical at the point of attack. It helps to have defensive tackle Darrell Jackson, who is 6'5" and 330 pounds, to anchor the middle of the defense.
Florida State ranked 86th in the FBS in total defense (385.9 total yards per game). The Seminoles are not returning the same defenders from a season ago. They added players with production via the transfer portal such as James Williams, Deante McCray, Elijah Herring, and Stefon Thompson.
This is a defensive coordinator who has ensured his defenses have recorded a top-25 defense in each of the last four seasons while he was with Nebraska and Syracuse. Florida State has a better talent pool than both institutions.
This should be a season where the Seminoles put their stamp on being a physical as well as an effective defensive unit.
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