Last season for Florida State was an all-timer — in the worst of ways.
Just a year removed from a 13-1 campaign and a controversial College Football Playoff snub, the Seminoles collapsed to a shocking 2-10 finish in 2024. Now, head coach Mike Norvell enters what could be a make-or-break season in 2025.
In response, Norvell and his staff made sweeping changes, both on the field and on the sidelines. As they’ve done before, FSU leaned heavily on the transfer portal and also overhauled their coaching staff, including both coordinator spots.
MORE: FSU’s Mike Norvell faces harsh reality check from ESPN analyst over 2025 pressure
The most talked-about addition? Former Auburn and UCF head coach Gus Malzahn, who takes over as offensive coordinator. Alongside him is Boston College transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who arrives as the presumed starter.
Florida State’s offense was historically inept last year, averaging just 15.4 points per game — ranking 130th nationally.
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Now, the hope in Tallahassee is that Malzahn and Castellanos can engineer a dramatic turnaround for a program in desperate need of direction.
Oddsmakers at FanDuel have set Florida State’s projected win total at 7.5, but CBS Sports' Chip Patterson believes even that may be overly optimistic. In a bold prediction, Patterson suggested that FSU could finish with the same record as Castellanos’ former team, Boston College.
Both of these teams have difficult schedules, but the current win totals at FanDuel Sportsbook have them two wins apart with Florida State at 7.5 and Boston College at 5.5. Florida State has both Alabama and Florida on the non-conference schedule and arguably the two most talented teams in the ACC (Clemson and Miami) as annual rivals. With a ton of turnover on both sides of the ball there's a decent chance they pick up another defeat along the way and could finish with seven wins. Boston College does draw Notre Dame out of conference and a tough trio of Clemson, Louisville and Boston College in league play, but with two of those games in Chestnut Hill and some winnable games early it's a slate that can get the Eagles to a bowl game and threaten for seven wins by season's end.
Castellanos, who ranks 11th in Sporting News' ACC 2025 QB'S, enters the season ranked as the No. 23 quarterback in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. Despite that poor ranking, Norvell is backing him as a star.
“Our expectations are for him to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country,” Norvell told Warchant.
After last year’s struggles with D.J. Uiagalelei at the helm, Castellanos now carries the weight of FSU’s hopes for a rebound season.