Florida State has begun the process of making staff changes amid a historically bad season. Now that the firings have begun, it is time to go on the hunt for replacements. There will be a lot of moving pieces to this process as more firings are potentially announced at the end of the season, as well as the positions the new coordinators may also fill. With that in mind, I’ll detail some overall thoughts on what we expect during this process and some names to watch at the coordinator positions.
During Mike Norvell’s first weekly presser after the changes were announced, he seemed to have a different attitude. He sounded like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and there was a renewed level of confidence in the way he spoke. He appears to have a plan for this process and a list of names already in mind. I’m sure he has known that changes were necessary for some time now.
Norvell stated there was a lot of interest in the openings, even from the NFL level, and that was further echoed by FSU Athletic Director Michael Alford. Norvell stated he is open-minded about the process and seems adamant about doing whatever it takes to get the program back to the standard we expect, even if that requires him to give up play-calling duties.
Mike Norvell knows he must get this right because this might be the only chance he gets to reset his staff if things go poorly. I agree with his statement that this can get turned around fast if they get it right. The thought of him building a real top-tier staff has me excited to see where this goes because the last staff overachieved relative to their qualifications.
I feel the focus through this process should be to find coaches who are proven because not only does he need to get this right, but it also needs to happen quickly. They need guys who can recruit the high school ranks, but also go get a good portal haul to infuse the 2025 roster with talent. Lastly, they need coaches who can develop the talent they have on the current roster and help rebuild the culture at FSU.
With that in mind, let’s get into some names to watch at the coordinator positions. These are the names I’ve heard or seen mentioned throughout FSU circles or names that Michael and I like ourselves. Only Mike Norvell knows who the hires will be no matter what the “insiders” tell you.
Brennan Marion (UNLV OC/QB): The hottest name associated with the coaching search, and my personal favorite, is current UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. The 37-year-old up-and-comer has risen rapidly through the ranks and is well-known as the creator of the “Go-Go” offense which shares similar concepts to the Norvell offense. Marion played for Norvell at Tulsa and Norvell also gave him a job at Arizona State, so the connection is there. Marion currently coaches quarterbacks at UNLV, but he is a receiver coach by nature and even helped develop a Biletnikoff winner (Jordan Addison) at Pitt. Marion spent time at Texas with Steve Sarkisian and was part of some big recruiting wins. There is a strong connection to Norvell, he checks almost all the boxes, and unless he gets a head coaching offer, seems very “get-able” being at a G5 school making a third of what FSU paid Alex Atkins. He could also fill the receiver coach opening.
Mike Shanahan and/or Tino Sunseri (Indiana Co-OCs): Indiana has taken the college football world by storm this season going from 3-9 to 10-0 under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. With FSU sticking with Norvell, poaching Cignetti is out, but what if you could do the next best thing and raid their coaching staff? Indiana currently has the second-ranked scoring offense in FBS averaging over 40 points per game. There is a fair argument that they haven’t played the toughest competition, but the ACC isn’t exactly murder’s row. Shanahan played for Mike Norvell at Pitt, so there is a connection. He previously served as the OC for James Madison and guided an offense that averaged over 30 PPG their first two seasons as an FBS program. Sunseri was previously at FSU as an analyst under Jimbo Fisher. Both coaches are well beneath what Atkins was getting pain at FSU and may even be obtainable as a package deal.
Ben Arbuckle (Washington State OC): This is a name that I have heard mentioned as a serious contender to watch. Arbuckle served as the OC at Western Kentucky in 2022 and had a top-15 offense that averaged over 36 PPG. He took over the OC duties at WSU in 2023 with Cam Ward as his QB and had the 38th-ranked offense averaging 31.7 PPG. In 2024, without Ward, he guided them to a top-10 offense, but keep in mind with the Pac-12 falling apart, they have only played two Power 4 teams this season.
Other names I’ve heard mentioned are Kevin Johns at Oklahoma, who coached under Norvell at Memphis. Norvell did not bring him to FSU when he was hired and he has only served as an interim OC, so that feels unlikely. The other name that is fun to think about but doesn’t feel very realistic is Dan Mullen. Mullen is currently an analyst for ESPN, so this could be his opportunity to get back into the coaching game. This one may seem controversial, and he has fair criticisms about his willingness to recruit, however, he is an excellent offensive mind. He guided the Florida offenses to a lot of success back in the Tim Tebow era and again as their head coach. He also had Mississippi State rolling with Dak Prescott as QB. Mullen would also bring head coaching experience to the staff. Again, it feels unlikely, but it’s fun to think about.
Flipping over to the defense, FSU made Adam Fuller one of the highest-paid coordinators in FBS at around 2 million per year. I would imagine for them to move on from Fuller, they will be looking to make a splash hire to guide the defense.
Tyler Santucci (GT DC): Santucci currently serves as the DC at Georgia Tech and has done a great job turning around what was a terrible defense in 2023. I like this choice because he comes from the Mike Elko tree after serving with him at Texas A&M and Duke. Santucci currently makes $600k per year and there have been rumors of financial problems within the GT program, so FSU could probably outbid the Jackets for his services. However, Tech is having a solid season and appears to be a program on the rise under Brent Key, so it might be tough to convince him to leave for what feels like a less stable situation.
Chris Hampton (Oregon Co-DC): Hampton currently serves at the co-DC under Dan Lanning at Oregon but was previously the DC at Tulane. During his two seasons at Tulane, their defense dropped from 57th to 114th but then made a dramatic jump to 32nd in 2022. I’m a big fan of Dan Lanning and spending a season under his tutelage is a positive. The other positive is that Lanning comes from the Mike Norvell coaching tree, so Hampton can easily be vetted by Norvell through Lanning. He’s also been part of some big recruiting wins at Oregon, which is a big box to check for FSU.
Scott Symons (SMU DC): Another name I’ve heard mentioned is SMU DC Scott Symons. Symons has done a great job with SMU’s defense in their first year in the ACC. He may be a hard pull with SMU being a program on the rise and they have money, too.
Jonathan Patke (Duke DC): Patke served at the DC at Texas State in 2023 before being hired by Manny Diaz at Duke in 2024. Patke coaches an aggressive style of defense and led Texas State to third in TFLs in 2023 and Duke currently sits at number two in 2024. Patke has put together quality defenses without having a lot of talent to work with. While Duke is having a nice season in 2024, the ceiling is a lot higher at a place like FSU.
Jim Leonhard is the name that a lot of FSU fans wanted the first time Norvell hired a DC. He is currently with the Denver Broncos, and it would be nice to have some NFL experience on the staff. Leonhard previously served as DC at Wisconsin and put together a top-10 defense for 4 of his 6 years there. This would be an excellent hire if they could get him to return to the college level.
Other names: Zack Arnett is a name that has been floated around. He currently serves as an analyst at Ole Miss and is the former head coach of Mississippi State. One of my personal favorites is Will Muschamp, who is currently serving as a defensive analyst at Georgia. Muschamp was previously the Dawgs DC but stepped back to spend more time with family. His son previously played at UGA but has since graduated. While his head coaching career may not have been successful, he was a great defensive coordinator. My main concern with Muschamp is whether this is even realistic. He is a UGA alumnus and very close with Kirby Smart.
We will keep you updated as the lists filter down and we hear more about the possible choices. I believe that the top candidates have already been contacted and the vetting processes started, but only Mike Norvell knows who is on the shortlist. If what they say is true that there is overwhelming interest, this could be an exciting offseason once the names get announced. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
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