Florida State football's offense did not have the production that it wanted. Obviously, the Alabama Crimson Tide lost to the Seminoles by a score of 31-17, where they couldn't stop Gus Malzahn's scheme like they always have historically.
The Seminoles have struggled to find sustainable success, as Florida State finished with seven wins in two years. That isn't the example that the program wants to set since the fan base desires to compete for championships.
Individuals learned that offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has decided to announce his retirement on Monday, and the fact that Mike Norvell would be calling plays in 2026.
Florida State fans might have their starting quarterback in the offense for 2026
This is a sight that fans don't want to see with Norvell having the responsibility of going 2-10 in 2024. There are some that suggest the head coach has lost the same mojo that he had when the Seminoles were 10-3 in 2022 and 13-1 in 2023.
It all starts with the quarterback position for the Seminoles, as they added transfers such as Auburn's Ashton Daniels, Lafayette's Dean DeNobile, and JUCO Iowa Western's Malachi Marshall. Plus, Florida State also has youngsters Kevin Sperry and Jaden O'Neal in the mix.
This is a situation where Florida State has gone to the transfer portal in the past two offseasons before this one, with Clemson/Oregon State's DJ Uiagalelei and UCF/Boston College's Thomas Castellanos.
There is concern that Mike Norvell cannot win without Jordan Travis, which could be true. It is also worrisome that Norvell hasn't developed someone that he has gotten from the high school ranks.
Kevin Sperry hasn't played much in the Garnet and Gold, but fans think that the former four-star prospect in the 2025 cycle could be the starter. Personally, I am a huge fan of Sperry's skill set. Coach Norvell went on Jordan Travis's podcast "Travis Take Two" back in December, where he raved about the young quarterback.
FSU QB Kevin Sperry has a bright future ahead 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jUmqPMxnCM
— Travis Take Two (@travistaketwo) December 23, 2025
While this was before Florida State got busy in the transfer portal to grab three quarterbacks, none of them are surefire starters, and Sperry could still win the job. The Seminoles only had two signal-callers on their roster heading into the offseason, so they had to grab one or two transfers anyway.
This isn't like Ashton Daniels has lit the world on fire with his production at Stanford and Auburn, and while Malachi Marshall's highlight tape looks good at a JUCO level, we have to see if it translates to the Power Four. Now that Gus Malzahn is retiring, this could allow Norvell to put his faith in Sperry.