In a must win season, Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell has a lot of new and talented players. He's also bringing in new assistant coaches to hopefully help lead them to a few more wins.
Coming off of seven wins in the last two seasons, it’s painfully obvious something must change for the once-proud Florida State football program.
This past season, Mike Norvell’s team finished 26th in total defense, ninth in total offense, and went from sixth in the nation during the 2024 season to 91st on special teams in 2025.
While the offensive and defensive stats weren't horrible, they didn't equate to enough wins. With 27 freshman from the No. 15, 2026 recruiting class already on campus, not including 23 new players from the portal, Florida State needs to find a way to successfully replace 35 spots from last year's two deep roster.
The real question fans have is, what's going to be different from last year? Norvell has answered that with new coaching hires for his team that include offense, defense and special teams.
Key New Coaches
Jesse Stone, Assistant QB Coach
Coached transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels while at Auburn. This could mean that Daniels will be the starting QB for the Noles in 2026.
Gabe Fertitta, Director of Football Strategy/Offensive Assistant
Fertitta was at FSU from 2022-2024. Last season he was the offensive coordinator for Nichols State.
Nick Williams, Pass Rush Specialist
With coaching stops at Georgia, Texas A&M, Colorado, and Syracuse, the former Georgia Bulldog has experience at programs with high standards. Williams has a track record of turning guys into All-ACC performers, and also into NFL draft picks.
Kam Martin, Running Backs Coach
Martin spent the last four years at Tulsa, University of Central Florida, and Incarnate Word. He’s had a 1,000 yard rusher each of the last four seasons. He’s known as an ace recruiter and elite developer of talent.
Teddy Richardson III, Assistant Running Backs Coach
Hired from Appalachian State. The former Florida International tailback will be the assistant to Kam Martin.
Marney Saint-Amour, Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Saint-Amour was a grad assistant for Norvell during the head coach's first season in Tallahassee. He’s since had stops at Georgia State, Alabama, Georgia, and Charleston State.
Adam Scheier, Special Teams Coordinator
Scheier comes to the Garnet and Gold with 24 years of coaching under his belt. He's had a top-10 special-teams unit four times in his career, and he's had 20 seasons of fielding an all-conference kicker or punter.
Jake Flaherty, Assistant Special Teams Coach
FSU had one of the worst special-teams units in the country in 2025. Flaherty has stops at Miami, Montana State, Lehigh, Merryville and Bucknell. Flaherty also previously has coached wide receivers.
Blue Adams, Cornerback Coach
Adams has developed four NFL draft picks, two All-Americans, and 24 all-conference players. The former NFL defensive back has over 16 years of coaching in college and the NFL.
Assistant coaches are the backbone of the coaching staff. Their responsibilities include the development of the players, but also the recruiting of the players and being a father figure to the players within their position group.
The leadership required to be a successful assistant coach, and to successfully motivate your group is something that isn't talked about enough when considering what it takes to be a successful program.
Look at the Nick Saban coaching tree for further evidence on the importance of quality assistant coaches.
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