Florida State football begins its spring practice on Wednesday, March 19th. The Seminoles did not have the season that it wanted in 2024, where it had a 2-10 record. This left many question marks for the fan base who thought the program was taking the next step in stability.
Florida State had a dynamic offense in 2023, which included pieces such as quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson, wide receivers Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, and tight end Jaheim Bell. This made individuals think that head football coach Mike Norvell was one of the best offensive minds in all of college football.
That opinion was thrown to the side as the Seminoles had one of the worst units in the country last season. Florida State added quarterback transfer DJ Uiagalelei last offseason, and it did not pan out the way that they thought.
This isn't to say that Uiagalelei was the only problem, but individuals know that the quarterback position is the most important on the football field. The running game was also something that was classified as one of the worst in college football last year.
The concerning part that many should have noticed last year is that the rushing attack was successful at times during spring practice last year, but the offense in general was not dominant.
Florida State football made some major changes this offseason when head football coach Mike Norvell handed the keys to the offense to former UCF head football coach Gus Malzahn. Malzahn has been regarded as someone who had innovative offenses in the past and had a history of effectively running the football.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei was not much of a running threat last season, so the Seminoles brought in someone who is dual-threat and dynamic with his legs in former Boston College signal-caller Thomas Castellanos.
Castellanos is a quarterback who Mike Norvell admitted gave him gray hairs from the last two meetings that had to deal with the talented player. He was also recruited by Norvell and Florida State to play running back in high school. It is funny how life comes full circle.
Florida State's coaching staff gave him plenty of playmakers to be successful this season, such as Duce Robinson, Squirrel White, and Randy Pittman Jr. in the transfer portal. Plus, four new offensive linemen had a ton of collegiate experience (it didn't help last year, but there is a new offensive line coach in Herb Hand instead of Alex Atkins).
This should allow Castellanos to be more efficient in the passing game where the opposing defenses bottle his legs up. I believe that there will be times when the offense will dominate the defense when he highpoints the football to 6'7" Duce Robinson much like what the Seminoles did when they had 6'7" Johnny Wilson.
I'm not asking you to drink the "Kool-Aid," but the offense should be much improved from last season.