Florida State football did not set the standard of what it is as a program. The Seminoles are used to hoisting conference championships and being in the national championship conversation. They fell way short of that goal as they accumulated a 2-10 record in 2024.
Head football coach Mike Norvell understands how important this offseason is for the program. Some individuals have grown weary of Norvell's process as they did not want to go through yet another rebuild like they went through in 2020 and 2021.
Florida State has to win, and they have to win now, as the Alabama Crimson Tide are coming to Tallahassee for the 2025 season opener. The expectation at Florida State was to win, and Norvell knew major changes needed to be made.
The head football coach decided to make new coordinator hires, which was a major step. While offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was a name that Norvell was familiar with, defensive coordinator Tony White was a proven name that he did not have much experience with.
After leading the Nebraska Cornhuskers to a top-20 defensive unit in 2024, the Seminole fan base is excited to see what White has to offer. Florida State has already added Kevin Wynn, LaJesse Harrold, Gregory Thomas, and Tylon Lee (just to name a few) from the recruiting trail, then secured transfers such as James Williams, Deante McCray, and Stefon Thompson.
It is normal to get caught up in the shiny new toys that a team has, but the Seminoles still have quality pieces on its roster such as redshirt sophomore linebacker Omar Graham Jr. The former three-star prospect had been a talking point in a negative fashion on social media.
Graham Jr. tested the waters in the transfer portal this offseason. Honestly, I couldn't blame him as the person who recruited him to come to Florida State accepted another job (Chris Marve), and then his other position coach was relieved of his duties (Randy Shannon). Thankfully, he has an assistant coach that he is familiar with to coach him (John Papuchis).
However, just like former defensive back Jarrian Jones, he proved the doubters wrong and showed why he was a viable linebacker when healthy. Graham Jr. recorded 37 tackles (four for loss) and three deflections last season. They only added transfer Stefon Thompson and four-star signee Ethan Pritchard at the position.
This seems to suggest that the coaching staff has confidence in the players that they have in the position to be successful. I am excited to see how Graham Jr. performs with another healthy season.