1. Can Gus Malzahn bring energy back to FSU’s offense?
FSU’s offense has averaged 15.2 points per game since former QB Jordan Travis was injured in November 2023. The issues are everywhere: Poor offensive line play and the lack of a ground game have put pressure on quarterbacks to make plays. Drops have been an issue, too.
Coach Mike Norvell hired Malzahn as offensive coordinator, a trusted friend from back in their coaching days at Tulsa nearly two decades ago. Malzahn won a national championship in 2010 as an Auburn assistant, played for one (against FSU) in 2013 and lost and had a prolific offense in his tenure as Tigers coach before he was dismissed in November 2020 with a 6-4 mark.
As UCF’s head coach, Malzahn had a top-10 rush offense in each of the last three seasons. His offensive philosophy is simple: Malzahn wants a physical, downhill rushing attack that also can throw deep passes. It worked early at UCF, which enjoyed a pair of nine-win seasons in 2021 and ’22. But after a 6-7 mark in 2023 and a 4-8 record in 2024, Malzahn and UCF agreed to a split.
Malzahn will have plenty of talent, but FSU could start 10 transfers who arrived in the winter, with an 11th being guard Richie Leonard (a Florida transfer who played four games at FSU in 2024 before an injury).
2. How good can Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme be at FSU?
White’s scheme isn’t conventional. The Seminoles; defensive coordinator prefers a 3-3-5 alignment but one where the Seminoles could at times show four- or five-man fronts. Ends could drop into coverage. Linebackers could rush the passer.
Defensive coaches consider it adaptable to opponents as well as down-and-distance situations. And they feel it will mesh with various skill sets.
White’s Nebraska defenses were consistently effective at stopping the run. Nebraska ranked eighth in the FBS in 2024 (101.2 yards per game) and ninth in the FBS in 2023 (92.9 yards per game).
Conversely, FSU has been average (54th vs. the run in 2021) during Norvell’s years at FSU. But often the Seminoles were far, far worse. In 2024, the Seminoles gave up 184.7 rushing yards per game (107th in FBS).
3. What version of Tommy Castellanos takes the field in 2025?
Quarterback Tommy Castellanos ran for 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore at Boston College. A year later, with coach Bill O’Brien taking over, Castellanos was instructed to be a pocket passer and ran for only 194 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles.
Castellanos did improve in other areas, seeing his completion percentage rise nearly four points to 61.5 under O’Brien. What do Norvell and Malzahn envision for Castellanos, who is elusive but also often inaccurate?
FSU’s coaches have often said they want to play to Castellanos’ strengths, which are as a runner and a leader. The charismatic Castellanos oozes confidence, which has been embraced by teammates.
And Castellanos, who signed with UCF out of high school and spent a year in Orlando, has reconnected with Malzahn. The coaching carousel and transfer portal makes college football nomadic, but FSU’s coaches feel they can bring out the best in Castellanos.
The safe bet is for FSU’s coaches to use Castellanos as a positive in the run game, either through designed carries or scrambles when the play breaks down, and to limit his passing to 25 attempts per game.
4. Can FSU win games via the run?
Castellanos is viewed as an ideal fit for Malzahn’s offense. And part of that fit is seeing the quarterback accentuating FSU’s ground attack.
The Seminoles will have four new starters on the offensive line, including three with starting experience in the SEC (Gunnar Hansen at Vanderbilt, Micah Pettus at Ole Miss and Leonard at Florida). Center Luke Petitbon also transferred from Wake Forest and is a leader, while Adrian Medley played guard at UCF for Malzahn and offensive line coach Herb Hand (who’s also now at FSU).
FSU also has a deep group of running backs. The coaches brought in Oklahoma transfer Gavin Sawchuk, who had 744 rushing yards, nine TDs in 2023 before a hamstring injury limited him to 128 yards and one touchdown last fall. FSU also has Roydell Williams and Jaylin Lucas, both of whom were lost early in 2024 due to injury, and they landed one of the nation’s top tailbacks in Ousmane Kromah from Leesburg (Ga.).
Sawchuk could be atop the depth chart. But his injury history as well as that of FSU’s other backs suggests the carries could be spread around to keep them as healthy as possible.
It’s likely a stretch to think FSU could be one of the 10 best rush offenses in the FBS like Malzahn’s last two UCF teams. But everything about Malzahn’s history suggests he wants to run.
5. Can FSU beat a rival?
Coming off a 2-10 season, Norvell will need to show considerable improvement. While oddsmakers feel FSU will win seven games, many Seminoles fans saw a program on the rise with 23 combined wins in 2023 and ’24. And they will be expecting more than a 7-5 season.
The Seminoles went 0-3 against Miami, Clemson and Florida in 2024, losing those games by double digits. FSU could be an underdog in all three of those games this fall. And the Seminoles are an 11.5-point underdog in the home opener vs. Alabama.
Can the Seminoles defeat the Hurricanes, Gators or Tigers? Or pull off a considerable upset over the Crimson Tide? A rivalry win or taking two of those four would help convince fans that Norvell has the program back on track.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/08/28/five-burning-questions-facing-the-2025-fsu-seminoles/
