TALLAHASSEE — The question from a Florida State fan was simple: “Are you having fun?”
FSU offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn ran with it.
“Somebody took a picture of me smiling, I don’t know if I smiled the last four years, OK?” Malzahn said to laughter from the crowd at the Tallahassee Quarterback Club last week.
Malzahn didn’t mention UCF, where he coached from 2021-24. And it wasn’t a shot at his time in Orlando. If anything, it was a comment on his age (he turns 60 in October) and desire to not be a head coach who deals with the responsibilities and details of recruiting, the transfer portal and roster management.
“I’m getting a little older. I’ve been doing it a long time, and was thinking about retiring and all that,” Malzahn said. “My wife was all excited.”
And then Mike Norvell called. The FSU coach was looking for an offensive coordinator.
“Mike called me about someone else,” Malzahn said. “ ‘What do you think about this guy and all that?’ And then he said, ‘Unless you would do it.’ ”
Malzahn stepped down after a 28-24 run at UCF, one that began with back-to-back nine-win seasons yet ended with a 4-8 mark in 2024. Hours before FSU kicked off against Florida to end the 2024 season, Malzahn’s hire as the Seminoles’ offensive coordinator was leaked to the media.
Calling himself “a high school coach” a few times, Malzahn emphasized how much he wanted to just coach the offense. The early returns, through two games, have been fun for FSU fans to watch — something the No. 7 Seminoles were not in 2024.
An offense guided by versatile Boston College transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos but also featuring 10 new starters around him put up 31 points in an upset of Alabama. The Seminoles have also produced nine rushing touchdowns, one more than in all of 2024, going into Saturday’s game as No. 7 FSU (2-0) comes off a bye and faces Kent State (1-2).
Castellanos has completed 17 of 25 passes for 389 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while also running 20 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.
“He is doing a great job with leading, he’s doing a great job with his play-making ability,” Malzahn said. “He’s one of the more dynamic playmakers college football, and I think the sky’s the limit for him.”
