Midseason check-in: Evaluating FSU offensive coaches, position-by-position

It’s been a nightmare season for Florida State, which entered the year with high hopes of a potential playoff berth and defending its ACC Championship title.

Instead, the worst season since 1974 is underway with no signs of improvement on the horizon.

Ultimately, everything that happens on the field reflects on Mike Norvell.

However, part of this season's downfall clearly falls on his staff, which he brought back from the ACC championship season. While there have been multiple occasions of lapses of execution on the end of the players, as the saying goes, you’re either coaching it or allowing it to happen.

This article does not mean to call for anyone’s job but gives an overview of each offensive coach’s position group. I will look at three categories: how the returning players have fared, the development of young players, and those in their 2025 recruiting class.

Offensive coordinator, offensive line coach Alex Atkins

Atkins took over as offensive coordinator in 2022 while still retaining his duties of overseeing the offensive line. He does not primarily call plays, so the best look at his performance so far revolves around the FSU run game and the OL.

The running game ranks 130th out of 133 FBS teams in total rushing yards and average yards per rush (2.54). Its moderate success against Duke brought them up from the basement as the Seminoles ranked dead last in the ground game during their bye week. Florida State also ranks 110th in sacks allowed, with 20 given up during the season. The teams ahead of them are Ball State and Akron, with 19 sacks.

Veteran Players: Darius Washington and Maurice Smith earned All-ACC honors last season and are nowhere close to that level in 2024. Washington missed one game this season with an undisclosed injury and held PFF grades under 70 for the year, compared to a 76.1 total offensive grade in 2023. The hope coming into the season was that putting Washington at left tackle would make his life easier because he could hone his skills at one position, but that did not come to fruition. Smith also does not look like a sixth-year senior with snap errors, and all his PFF grades are down from 2023. Jeremiah Byers came on strong to end last year, but a lower-body injury kept them out for three games in 2024, and he still seems like he is playing through something. These three were supposed to be pillars of a successful offensive line and, instead, are crumbling down.

Young players: Due to the amount of shuffling up front, the Seminoles have used seven combinations in seven games. That allowed the inclusion of the younger guys, especially Andre Otto and Jaylen Early. Otto is a redshirt freshman who earned praise from the coaching staff during fall camp for his improvement and versatility. He made his first start against Clemson, struggled against their blitzing front, and took a holding call that wiped out a positive play in the first half. PFF gave him grades above 60 for the Duke game, which is average. Early took over for the first time versus Memphis in week three, and he played like a guy making his first start. However, according to PFF, he responded as the best-graded lineman against Cal but did not start in the games against SMU or Clemson. Atkins decided to bump him inside for the contest in Durham, where he also produced an average report. It remains to be seen whether he sticks at guard for the rest of the season or shifts back to tackle and where the coaching staff views him long-term.

Recruiting: Atkins has the best haul of any position class in the prep ranks. He flipped Mario Nash Jr. last week and added a 3-star guard to run his number up to four. Solomon Thomas is the only 5-star in the FSU class, and the OG seems locked into FSU even with the turmoil around them.

Quarterback coach Tony Tokarz

Veterans: Coach T could not coach out the turnover issues that plagued DJ Uiaglalei during his time at Clemson as the staff did with Jordan Travis, and he finished with a TD: INT ratio of 4:6. Along with the turnovers, Uiagalelei’s internal clock never went off in time, and the slow processing speed led to disjointed plays and sacks. Tokarz does not call the plays, so not all blame for the complete mismanagement of the offense can be placed on him. However, Uiagalelei holds a 53% completion rate as his accuracy circled the drain, and he regressed as a QB from Oregon State.

Young players: Like Uiagalelei, through two games, Brock Glenn turned the ball over like it was going out of style, with three interceptions and a lost fumble in two weeks. The coaching staff consistently harps on ball security, but the redshirt freshman cannot get out of his own way due to not being prepared to play or confident in himself. Aside from the turnovers, he is not assured in his footwork, which leads to overthrows or passes not on target. His best play comes from extending plays with his legs and ad-libbing outside the pocket, which reflects more on the player than the coach. Luke Kromenhoek only played a few series, but he could not identify the exotic blitzes from Duke, for which Manny Diaz deserves credit. Still, again, the staff did not give him the information to excel. Tokarz receives an N/A on Kromenhoek because of the limited volume, and the one amazing play he did make, Kentron Poitier dropped.

Recruiting: Tramell Jones Jr. remains locked in with the ‘Noles after flirting with Florida in the off-season, although an unfortunate injury in his high school season has sidelined him. Florida State already locked in their 2026 QB Brady Smigiel, although considering Georiga lost their 2026 QB commit this week, there is a long way to go to see that one out.

Wide receiver coach Ron Dugans

Veterans: The only veteran who took a step forward or is at least on the same level as their 2023 season is Ja’Khi Douglas. He has recorded multiple catches in every game since Memphis, eclipsing his season reception total from last year already with 22. He still does an excellent job finding space and his best moments often come on critical downs. Besides him, yikes. The staff felt Kentron Poitier would break out after finally getting healthy, but the only thing broken was his hands. The same can be said for Darion Williamson, who they thought could take the next step this season but cannot beat out the true freshman on the depth chart. The worst example of poor coaching may be from Malik Benson. In the spring, he seemed like the go-to guy with Uiagalelei and at least a high 2, if not a low-end 1. Unfortunately, Dugans never found a way to get him going, and besides the deep ball reception against Memphis for 60 yards, there has been nothing doing. While not a stat that fully falls on the veterans, FSU leads the country in dropped passes and dropped pass percentage as they work “mind, body, and soul,” according to Norvell, to get it fixed. While the drops are bad, the perimeter blocking might be worse, as plenty of runs are either not started or left out on the field because the WRs are not setting the edge with purpose. Again, not fully on the veterans, but a better veteran presence helps solve the issue.

Young players: Along with Benson, FSU hoped that Hykeem Williams would take the next step in his ascension as a #1 target. An injury at the beginning of the season kept him out the first three weeks, and it has been a mixed bag since his return. Dugans pushes Williams to the brink in practice and coaches him hard, but he still looks too raw to be a top college threat. He has 12 catches for 120 yards this season and a reception in every game played. Jalen Brown seemed to be an ascending player with his game-breaking speed, but the redshirt freshman played two snaps against Duke and plateaued. The young freshmen that Norvell keeps mentioning, Elijah Moore, Lawayne McCoy, and BJ Gibson, have still yet to see significant game action. Moore seems like the most game-ready, but far too often, the coaching staff needs to re-position him before a play starts so that they can trust him fully. If those three start to contribute down the stretch, the discourse around Dugans should change.

Recruiting: Once the hallmark of the 2025 class, Florida State is down to just one receiver, CJ Wiley, who they are hanging onto by a thread, fending off his home state, Georgia. Two 4-star commitments, Daylan McCuttchen and Malik Clark, already backed off their pledge to FSU and chose Texas and South Carolina. All three felt like long shots, considering none live in the state of Florida, but a better start in the passing game probably means they could still be in the fold. Of course, the main target coming into the summer was Jamie Ffrench Jr., who lives in Jacksonville and plays with Tramell Jones. He seemed interested in the Seminoles last year but slowly started to trend away and is now committed to Texas.

Tight ends coach Chris Thomsen

Veterans: Speaking of drops, Kyle Morlock leads the team with four, and somehow, each of them turned into an INT for the opposing defense, or at least it feels that way. The second-year transfer perfectly complimented Jaheim Bell last season but could not be the focal point himself. Jackson West earned the most improved player on offense according to the FSU team awards last year but does not have a catch on the season and did not receive a snap against Duke or Clemson. Brian Courtney made a cool-looking two-point conversion against Georgia Tech, and since then, well, there has not been much.

Young players: Amaree Williams and Landen Thomas are probably the only bright spots on offense at this point in the season. Thomsen should be given a lot of kudos for getting Williams up to speed. He enrolled in the summer yet was able to make an impact play against Clemson and catch his first career touchdown pass. Thomas took over the TE job after Morlock’s drop against SMU and played 39 snaps against the Blue Devils. His natural ability as a receiver stands out, but he looks a little better each game as a blocker, and some of that goes to Thomsen’s teachings.

Recruiting: The Seminoles have one tight end committed, Nebraska native Chase Loftin, who committed to the program in the summer. 247 Sports lists him as a 3-star and the 356th-ranked prospect. Thomsen flew to Omaha during the bye week to see the high school senior.

Running backs coach David Johnson

Veterans: The RB room underwent a ton of attraction with injuries in the fall, and a lot of credit goes to coach Yac for not allowing the effects to be felt. Lawrance Toafili and Roydell Williams were supposed to be thunder-and-lightning, but a bad drop from Toafili against GT, 22 rushing yards against BC, and a Williams fumble versus Memphis never let the duo get going. The Alabama transfer then got hurt, and Norvell said he would be “out for an extended period of time.” Toafili took over the room after Williams’ injury, and even while clearly being banged up, he contributed his best game of the season against the Blue Devils. Jaylin Lucas also went down early in the year, which is a great shame considering his game-breaking acceleration and the types of plays in the playbook that get him the ball.

Young players: Coach Yac worked Kam Davis up-to-speed, and the true freshman has been a contributor this year, even with the fumble and 1st quarter drop in Ireland. The most underrated part of his game may be his pass-blocking, which the coaching staff deserves praise for, along with the player for standing tall. Caziah Holmes and Sam Singleton have not been a factor in the offensive game plan, though they always practice intensely. Micahi Danzy recently came out of a scout team jersey, and his moment could be coming soon to display his game-breaking speed.

Recruiting: Byron Louis is the only commit in the Seminole class, a four-star from American Heritage. FSU was rumored with numerous other backs, including Ousmane Krumah, but they did not pan out, and Louis always seemed the most likely.