Florida State football is searching for answers after a 2-10 record in 2024 and then a 5-7 campaign in 2025. The Seminoles have conference and national championship aspirations.
It is painful to see the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes advancing in the College Football Playoff, while the Seminoles are sitting on the couch. Meanwhile, Florida State is running it back with head football coach Mike Norvell for a seventh season.
While some fans are hesitant in Norvell's ability to get it turned around, he has the blueprint to be successful. The biggest failure of his tenure so far in Tallahassee is his construction of the trenches. The offensive line was surprisingly solid under first-year position coach Herb Hand, but the unit had mainly all transfers starting.
The offensive line will have to go back to the portal or develop the talent that they have via the high school ranks. As for the defensive line, it had several busts that didn't pan out via the portal, such as James Williams, Jayson Jenkins, and Deamontae Diggs.
The Desir Twins have noteworthy freshman seasons, but they need more than just them to make some noise on the national level. The Seminoles added nine defensive linemen and six offensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class, but it is too late for the perception of the trenches.
Florida State has to win now with Mike Norvell's job security under close surveillance. Miami has defensive linemen Rueben Bain Jr. and Armondo Blount as well as offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa.
The emphasis on the trenches to build the squad on the inside first by the Hurricanes has been impressive to see. Obviously, head football coach Mario Cristobal's in-game management is not the best, but when the talent around Cristobal is great, it is difficult to screw it up.
Norvell has to find a way to build his team through the trenches. This is hoping that Florida State learns from its mistakes and gets the job done on the trail.