Florida State football had the 5-7 record, and it looks like the fan base wants to fast-forward to the 2026 season. The Seminoles are retaining head football coach Mike Norvell for next year, which caused frustration from the fans due to the performance on the gridiron.
This isn't an opportunity to express concern about the decision because there is nothing that the fan base can do about it now. The program has to put in the resources for him to be successful in 2026.
Florida State will have to replace some key pieces, which includes an entire starting offensive line, since they were all seniors. The thought in the offseason was that position coach Herb Hand was going to pick up veteran transfers in the portal, so the youngsters can have another year of development.
Players like Chavez Thompson, Andre Otto, Lucas Simmons, and Jonathan Daniels all had time to groom themselves. Seminole fans aren't used to young offensive linemen developing into much, as Robert Scott Jr. was the last recruit to play on the offensive line for multiple years.
Luke Petitbon was hand-selected to play center this season, as he transferred in from Wake Forest. If the Demon Deacons didn't have a coaching chance, he probably never would have come to Tallahassee. The veteran was selected to an All-ACC team.
This will be huge shoes to fill, but there is confidence surrounding the fact that true freshman interior offensive lineman Chavez Thompson will be ready to carry the load at center. The former three-star prospect in the 2025 class that was formerly pledged to Florida International before committing to Florida State, was someone that the fan base did not know much about.
Thompson put in the work after the offseason, and was trusted with the responsibility of being the back-up center. This would be a huge development for the coaching staff because that means that the university wouldn't have to cough up more resources for a starting center, which can be classified as the "quarterback" of the offensive line.