Revamped Florida State ‘desperate to win,’ eager to get back into ACC contention

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Coming off the program’s worst season in 50 years, Florida State could have used a soft opening.

Instead, the Seminoles will host college football’s premier powerhouse, eighth-ranked Alabama, while showcasing a $265 million stadium renovation, a revamped offense and a retooled defense.

It’s a daunting task, no doubt. But it’s also an unbelievable opportunity for the Seminoles and coach Mike Norvell to kick-start the team’s climb from the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

The ‘Noles finished 2-10 in 2024, with wins against Cal and lower-division Charleston Southern. It marked FSU’s fewest victories since going 1-10 in 1974 and prompted Norvell to fire offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugans.

It was a stunning slide for a team that went 13-1 in 2023, won the ACC and would have made the College Football Playoff if not for a gruesome injury to all-everything quarterback Jordan Travis.

And it left the ’Noles in rebuilding mode.

“There’s not going to be a player who stands up and says they want to be mediocre or they want to be average,” Norvell said. “Everybody’s going to say the same things. It’s like every team when they report: ‘This is the year; this is the time.’ It all sounds the same. But on a daily basis, what shows up? Are you truly willing to give everything?”

Norvell changed just about everything in hopes of delivering a quick turnaround and quieting speculation about his future in Tallahassee. He hired former UCF and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and brought in Nebraska’s Tony White as defensive coordinator.

Norvell then signed 23 players out of the transfer portal, which ranked sixth nationally according to 247Sports. The group included former UCF and Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, three plug-and-play receivers and four starting offensive linemen.

Their goal is to improve an offense that averaged 15.4 points a game and ranked 131st out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

“We’re not going to look in the future and make expectations and stuff like that,” Castellanos said. “We’re just going to focus on one day at a time, and we’re going to earn it and we’re going to work.”

Castellanos brings an edge to FSU’s huddle

Castellanos raised eyebrows over the summer when he said the Crimson Tide “don’t have (coach) Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”

He hasn’t backed down.

“I said what I said, and we stand on that,” he said. “I don’t mean no disrespect to none of those guys at Alabama or anything like that. I just have confidence in my guys and the work we have been putting in and preparing and the preparation we’ve been putting together.”

FSU’s defense got overhauled, too

The Seminoles added five defensive transfers who are expected to start, including well-traveled linebackers Elijah Herring (Memphis/Tennessee), Stefon Thompson (Nebraska/Syracuse) and James Williams (Nebraska/Iowa Central). FSU is expected to have at least seven defensive starters who came from elsewhere, including nose tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. (Miami/Maryland) and safety Earl Little Jr. (Alabama).

“Desperate to win, desperate to eat, just desperate to succeed,” Little said. “We hit on that every day. You come here to be desperate and to succeed and put that logo on your chest and play for your last name and the school.”

A tough start and a formidable finish

As challenging as it is to start against the Crimson Tide — FSU has lost six of its past eight openers — the team’s toughest stretch might come in November.

The Seminoles close out the regular season with three of four on the road, including games at preseason No. 4 Clemson, at North Carolina State and at rival and preseason 15th-ranked Florida. They also host No. 10 Miami in early October.

Alabama, 1st opponent, has some challenges, too

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson will be making his first start after beating out former Washington backup Austin Mack and highly touted freshman Keelon Russell for the job.

The Crimson Tide could be without running back Jam Miller and possibly without starting guard Jaeden Roberts. Miller will miss several weeks with a dislocated collarbone sustained in the team’s second scrimmage of training camp. Roberts, a fifth-year senior who has started 21 games over the past two seasons, missed the past two weeks of practice and remains in the NCAA concussion protocol.