Mike Norvell set out to overhaul his coaching staff following the 2024 season, and he’s wasted no time making his first move. On Monday afternoon, the school made official, a report that surfaced before the Florida game even kicked off that Gus Malzahn was to be the Seminoles’ next offensive coordinator. The veteran playcaller has since stepped down from his position as the head coach at UCF to accept the role of OC at FSU. This was a big hire for Mike Norvell and one that brings a lot of experience to the position.
Malzahn is someone Norvell can trust handing the keys to the offense. And that’s an offense that is similar in concept to what Gus runs anyway because Norvell got his start under Malzahn at Tulsa. The other name mentioned for the opening, Brennan Marion, and the head coach for current ACC frontrunner, Rhett Lashlee, all coached under Malzahn and use similar offensive concepts. In essence, Norvell just hired the top of an impressive coaching tree.
One thing is for sure in 2025, Mike Norvell needs to win at FSU, period. That is a big part of why I feel they went in this direction. Malzahn’s most successful days may be in the rear-view mirror, however, he has still achieved success at the highest level. It would be difficult to find a more proven, experienced guy to fill the role, especially coming off a 2-10 season. Otherwise, there may have been some risk-taking that I don’t think they can afford at a time like the present. But is this the answer? What does he bring to the table? Let’s start bylooking at some career stats and accomplishments listed below.
There are many positives about this hire that I like. Gus is a proven commodity as a playcaller. He was the 2006 National OC of the year and won the Broyles Award for top assistant coach following the 2010 National Championship run at Auburn. He’s won a national championship and coached a Heisman winner as an OC. Malzahn also took Auburn to the national title game as a head coach, won 2013 Coach of the Year honors, and has multiple SEC and division titles to his name.
Another aspect that I love is he has been a successful recruiter and knows what it takes to win at the highest level in college football. During Malzahn’s tenure at Auburn, they landed a top 10 class in 6 of 8 seasons, and the other two were 11th and 12th. Even at UCF, he has landed the best classes the program has had in the past decade. It’s almost like bringing Jimbo back and tapping into that experience and knowledge. However, like Jimbo, the same concern is whether his best years are behind him.
Most of Malzahn’s success was 10+ years ago. At that time, his offenses were still new and innovative, and he wasn’t about to turn 60 years old. This debate is heavily brought on from his time at UCF. However, I would argue that it wasn’t as bad as it seemed in Orlando. Gus’s offenses were still hovering around the top 30 in opponent-adjusted metrics (F+ Rankings). They were in the top 20 in total yardage and top 10 in rushing 3 of 4 years there. UCF averaged over 30 PPG in all 4 seasons with Malzahn at the helm.
We must remember that UCF just transitioned into the Power 4 mid-way through his tenure. I’ve also been told by someone who covers UCF that their NIL structure isn’t quite at the Power 4 level yet, so there were some limitations. They had quarterback issues in 2024 (part of that in on Gus) and lost to some quality teams. They still won 9 games in both seasons competing in the AAC.
While there are some concerns about where his best days are at; I still believe this is a high-floor hire that can help more than just the offense. One thing is certain, FSU will be able to run the ball as that has been one of Malzahn’s staples throughout his career. I would like to see Norvell, or another member of the staff involved in the pass game concepts to assist there. It would not surprise me to see a mobile quarterback pursued in the portal given Malzahn’s success with them.
Another addition I’d like to see announced is the hiring of his former offensive line coach from UCF, Herb Hand. Hand has spent time with big-name programs like Texas, Penn State, and Auburn. He has a good history of recruiting and development and helped Gus produce multiple top-10 rushing offenses.
All in all, I like this hire and think Gus will be a good mentor for Mike. He no longer must be concerned with managing the ins and outs of running an entire program as an offensive coordinator. This also helps Norvell step into the CEO role we’d like him in. That doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns and he may not have been my first choice. However, considering FSU is coming off the season it had, this is far from a bad hire. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
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