FSU football head coach Mike Norvell spoke with the media on Wednesday morning and seemed relatively pleased with how spring camp went, and mentioned there were no surprises regarding the guys who decided to enter the transfer portal.
He acknowledged the two additions who had been announced, Jeremiah Wilson and Jaylen King. However, the official signing of Rutgers transfer offensive lineman Ja'Elyne Matthews came after Mike Norvell spoke.
At the same time, FSU had Vanderbilt transfer offensive lineman Joshua Raymond officially visiting, and it sounds like all he needs to do is speak with his mother to get the OK to commit to FSU, according to an interview by Noles247.
While FSU fans complain about receivers who would be depth pieces committing elsewhere, could Mike Norvell be playing chess and addressing the future of the most important unit on offense?
Hear me out. FSU added four transfer offensive linemen in the Winter Portal window. Those guys will help FSU immediately but will be gone after the season. FSU offensive line coach Herb Hand pointed this out in an interview earlier this spring, stating they had to find ways to get more balance of upper and underclassmen in that unit.
Ja'Elyne Matthews has four years of eligibility remaining, and Raymond has two years left. The offensive line has been the catalyst for poor QB and wide receiver development over the past decade at FSU.
The Noles haven't had an offensive lineman drafted since the 2018 NFL Draft. When you look at the young offensive linemen on the roster, there's some potential to fix the issues under the guidance of Herb Hand:
- Tye Hilton (RS-Fr)
- Mario Nash Jr. (Fr)
- Andre Otto (RS-So)
- Manassee Itete (RS-Fr)
- Jonathan Daniels (RS-Fr)
- Jayden Todd (RS-Fr)
- Lucas Simmons (RS-So)
- Ja'Elyne Matthews (Fr)
The odds say all of these guys won't pan out, but that's eight guys with multiple years of eligibility remaining, plus Raymond if he joins the fold. FSU has young talent at QB, TE, and WR. I contend the offense will be much improved in 2025 under Gus Malzahn(how could it not be). However, if they continue addressing this offensive line, this offensive could have the foundation to evolve into one of the better offenses nationally sooner rather than later.