Florida State football has an exciting season opener in the friendly confines of Doak Campbell Stadium versus the Alabama Crimson Tide that will be taking place on Saturday, August 30th.
It is a vital year for head football coach Mike Norvell after the struggles of the 2024 campaign, which entailed a 2-10 record. Norvell is on the hot seat by some individuals after finishing his fifth season at the helm.
The Crimson Tide ended their 2024 season with a bowl loss to Michigan in head football coach Kalen DeBoer's first year in Tuscaloosa. The Alabama squad will possess relatively new pieces in 2025, where they will have to replace the likes of quarterback Jalen Milroe.
The good news for the Crimson Tide is that they will still have wide receiver phenom Ryan Williams, who is now 18 years old, in case you didn't know. Florida State will have a ton of underclassmen defensive backs that they will have to rely on to contain him.
The Seminoles acquired many recruits and transfers this offseason to its roster. Just like last season, Florida State fans will have to familiarize themselves with the newer names. Let's just hope that it pans out better than the previous season.
Many players have expressed their excitement about taking on Alabama. They realize that fans outside of the program are not giving the Seminoles much of a chance as many sports books have Florida State over a touchdown underdog at home.
One transfer went to social media to discuss his excitement about the season opener in linebacker Caleb LaVallee.
August 30th can’t come soon enough pic.twitter.com/fXd6ekonT2
— Caleb LaVallee (@CalebLaVallee1) February 16, 2025
LaVallee made the most of his opportunity in his first career start versus UConn in the Fenway Bowl, where he recorded nine total tackles and was seen all over the field with excellent pursuit.
The redshirt sophomore will have his work cut out for him as he has to compete with the likes of Stefon Thompson, Omar Graham Jr., Blake Nichelson, Justin Cryer, Elijah Herring, Ethan Pritchard, Jayden Parrish, AJ Cottrill, Gav Holman, Timir Hickman-Collins, and Brandon Torres.
With that being said, LaVallee is a tremendous talent who should be able to find a role for himself in defensive coordinator Tony White's multiple 3-3-5 defensive schemes.