Florida State Football 2025 Preview
- Lewis Huston
- Aug 13
- 9 min read
Where to even begin coming off the worst reverse turnaround in FBS history. Mike Norvell seemed to finally have Florida State back after an undefeated regular season, only to follow that up with a comedy of errors in a disaster 2-10 season made even more laughable in the midst of a lawsuit trying to leave the ACC. I never understood the DJ Uiagalelei move, and that was just one of many transfer portal misses combined with poor play everywhere that led to a landslide. Norvell all of a sudden finds himself feeling pressure to get this thing back on the tracks and prove last year was just a wild outlier. A ton of work was done in the portal once again, and this crop of transfers is looking to be much better than the last.
Offense
Ranked # 10 in the country starting the year in Dublin against Georgia Tech, the Seminoles moved the ball down the field effortlessly for an opening drive touchdown. That was the high point of the season for the offense, and team as a whole. DJU never looked comfortable, was being booed off the field at halftime of their week 2 game and was finally benched after 5 losses to start the year. They tried out talented young QBs Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek the rest of way with even worse results. Glenn is the only one that returns and will begin ’25 as the backup once again.
Tommy Castellanos transfers in after also being benched at Boston College, but there’s reason for optimism reuniting with new OC Gus Malzahn, who originally recruited him to UCF when he was the head coach there. Castellanos was never a fit for Bill O’Brien’s pro-style offense with his inconsistency as a passer and should be much more comfortable in Malzhan’s dynamic run scheme. Malzahn has done wonders with dual threat QBs over the years, and Castellanos is an elite playmaker using his legs with just enough as a passer to keep you honest. At the very least this is an upgrade in fit from what Florida State had a year ago.
Leading rusher Lawrence Toafili graduated, but everybody else returns from a room that was one of the worst in the country ranking 128th in rushing offense. Injuries certainly played a role in that as Roydell Williams (Alabama) and Jaylin Lucas (Indiana) only played in a combined 6 games. Both return healthy and the 5’7” Lucas offers versatility as a pass catcher and kick returner. Kam Davis (51 car, 177 yds) got some immediate burn as a highly touted true freshman but his playing time was limited as he was inconsistent transitioning to the college game. He could be a factor with another full offseason in Tallahassee.
Another new impressive true freshman, Ousmane Kromah, has made waves in practice and should have a role immediately. At 6’1” 218 lbs the Top 100 prospect doesn’t look like a freshman. If he continues to impress he very well may end up the starter at some point this season. Spring transfer Gavin Sawchuk is a speedy back with plenty of experience at Oklahoma, where he was their starter during the back half of ’23 when he had 120 car, 744 yds (6.2) and 9 TD. There’s definitely talent in this room so I’d expect better production with Malzahn in ’25.
The WR corps has a completely clean slate with Lawayne McCoy (6 rec, 52 yds as true Fr) the only returner to play more than 70 snaps. Two of the Seminoles top overall grabs (pun intended) out of the portal were Squirrel White from Tennessee and Duce Robinson from USC. When healthy, the speedy White was a true game-breaker for the Vols totaling 130 rec, 1,659 yds and 6 TDs in three seasons while leading them in receiving in ’23. At 6’6” the former 5-star Robinson has immense upside and had 39 rec, 747 yds (19.2) and 7 TDs in two years as a rotational player. The staff is super high on him and he’s got star potential with an expanded role. Gavin Blackwell was a late spring addition and should be able to carve out a role with 3 years of experience at UNC. A crop of younger guys will push for work but I’ve got my eyes on true freshman Jayvan Boggs who has received praise in fall camp from coaches and defensive players alike. All signs point to him being a major factor from day one.
Tight End is shaping up to be a strength of this offense with three capable guys that all have starting experience. Randy Pittman tops the depth chart after starting 10 games last year at UCF when he had 32 rec, 416 yds (13.0) and 2 TD. Landen Thomas was the top-rated TE recruit in the country in last year’s class and appeared in all 12 games, starting the final 7 with 14 rec for 173 yds and a TD as a true freshman. Arizona State transfer Markeston Douglas returns to Tallahassee where he appeared in 30 games during his first three college seasons.
A big issue during Norvell’s first several seasons at FSU was poor offensive line play, and that reappeared in a big way last season. The ‘Noles started 10 different lineup combos ranking 128th in rush offense and dead last in sacks allowed with 49. No matter who is at QB or the skill positions, it’s nearly impossible for an offense to be effective with that type of play up front. G Jacob Rizy is the top returner starting 5 games after being 1st Tm All-Ivy League at Harvard the year prior. He had offseason surgery but is getting back into the swing of things and should be full-go by week 1. The other returner is Richie Leonard IV who was a starter at Florida in ’23 and began last year as the starter at RG before missing the final 8 games due to injury.
Norvell attacked the portal in a big way bringing in four different P4 starters; Luke Petitbon (Wake Forest), Adrian Medley (UCF), Micah Pettus (Ole Miss) and Gunnar Hansen (Vandy). Petitbon was ACC Honorable Mention in ’24 and Medley knows Malzahn’s system after spending his career with him at UCF. In total there are 129 career starts heading into this year and this unit can only improve, although trying to patch together an offensive line through the portal can be a dangerous game.
Defense
The defense wasn’t good by any means, but unlike the offense they at least showed a pulse at times, primarily in the first half of the season. In the end though it was the same story: returning players regressing and striking out on transfers. New DC Tony White looks to fix this after four straight top 25 defenses at Nebraska and Syracuse.
DT Darrell Jackson was one of the few bright spots, earning ACC Honorable Mention with 32 tkl, 4 TFL and 3.5 sk. He’ll be the leader up front surrounded by several exciting transfer additions. Deante McCray was a 2-year starter at WKU where he was a CUSA All-Freshman in ’23 and Honorable Mention in ’24. Pass rush specialist James Williams had 14 tkl and 5 sk last year for Tony White at Nebraska while Jayson Jenkins earned more snaps at Tennessee as the year went on. Either one has the talent to take a big step with a larger role. Another DE, Deamontae Diggs started for Coastal Carolina and had 34 tkl with 5 sk.
Several options at DE but there’s plenty of questions on the interior outside of Jackson. This could open the door for their top ’24 recruit Kevin Wynn to find his way into the rotation; he’s a mammoth of a human at 6’2” 334 lbs. Daniel Lyons has seen his role increase in each of his 3 seasons (25 tkl, 5 TFL and 3 sk in ’24) and will push for a starting role. KJ Sampson was a top 300 recruit in ’22 and will have a chance to breakout as a junior after playing 115 snaps last year.
Linebacker was another problem area last year with their five primary guys all grading out on PFF at 63.1 or lower. Three of them (Blake Nichelson, Omar Graham and Justin Cryer) return and will need to continue to show improvement. Newcomer Elijah Herring started 11 games at Memphis last year with 60 tkl, 8 TFL, 3.5 sk and 2 INT after leading Tennessee in tkl the year prior. He immediately becomes the most talented of the group and will help to elevate their play. Another one of Tony White’s guys joins the fold from Nebraska (27 tkl) after he was a 3-year starter with him at Syracuse prior. I favor this year’s top five and it’s an experienced group.
Florida State loses its starting corners to the NFL but did add Jeremiah Wilson from Houston in the spring. Wilson is rated by PFF as the 8th best returning CB nationally and had 24 tkl with 4 TFL, 4 INT and 4 PBU last year. He’s penciled in as one of the starters after a strong fall camp so far. The other spot seems to be a battle between returners Ja’Bril Rawls (14 tkl), Quindarious Jones (3 starts, 12 tkl, 3 PBU) and Charles Lester III (former top 50 recruit, played 4 games as true Fr). Underclassmen Shamar Arnoux and Cai Bates are ones to watch as well. The back end is much more stable returning multiple starters from a year ago, including leading tackler Shyheim Brown, although reports are that KJ Kirkland (46 tkl, 9 starts) is pushing to overtake him. Earl Little and Edwin Joseph played multiple positions a year ago and will find their way on the field again, with Little likely starting at Nickel/Rover.
Special Teams
Out of all that went wrong in ’24, the Seminoles did have one of the best special teams units for the second year in a row. Doing so for a third consecutive year will be a massive challenge considering that have to replace two stalwarts in the form of a 1st Tm All-ACC punter and 2nd Tm placekicker. RS Fr Jake Weinberg will take over kicking duties while Max Chiumento punts. If either doesn’t perform, UA All-American true freshman Brunno Reus is there as another option. Sam Singleton could get carries at RB, but he’ll be counted on in the return game after tying for 5th nationally in kickoff return yards a year ago including a 95 yard TD.
Schedule
As Tommy Castellanos has let everyone know, the Seminoles start their rebound attempt with the Alabama Crimson Tide at home. If they can pull off a shocker as two touchdown underdogs they’ll immediately jump back into the Top 25 and be off and running without a true road game until week 5. They’re big home dogs for a reason though. It is relatively soft after Bama with their next two toughest games (Miami and Pitt) both at home before a November 8th trip to Clemson. There’s certainly a great opportunity to build momentum before closing with 3 of 4 on the road. I do think it will be tough to judge this team until those back-to-back home games vs Miami and Pitt to start October, although going to Charlottesville the Friday before that feels more like a toss up than it typically should be.
Overall Outlook
When you go from 13-1 to 2-10, it makes the following season really tough to predict. What’s real and what’s not? The good news is the offense should be much better, assuming the Castellanos-Malzahn marriage is at least cordial. Malzahn is one of the best offensive minds in college football and has his preferred QB, with talented skill position options behind an experienced, beefed up offensive line. I’m still concerned about the defense though and how much they can improve. I’d put my highest confidence level in the linebackers with five experienced options to choose from. Defensive line is intriguing but I worry about the interior and their most productive transfers being G5 imports. You’re also relying on a lot of guys to step up in the secondary after losing arguably your two best defensive players at CB. Can they take advantage of a QB making his first career start in week 1? Last year left me a bit scarred and I’m not sure I can see a return to the ACC championship, but I feel like they’ve got to win 8 games to at least take some heat off Mike Norvell for a moment. The outlook would change tremendously if they can pick off Alabama or Miami in the first half of the year. I’m not ready to buy stock just yet though.
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