Norvell Adds Tom Herman to Florida State Football Staff

Florida State football coach Mike Norvell has added former Houston, Texas and FAU head coach Tom Herman to his Seminoles staff.

At this time, Herman’s role is unknown. But Herman brings a ton of experience and success on the gridiron to Tallahassee, and Norvell needs all the help he can get.

With the retirement of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn at the conclusion of last season, Norvell will take over play calling duties for the 2026 season. Herman can certainly help in that regard, as he knows a thing or two about winning football games.

Herman was the head coach at both Texas and Houston over the course of six seasons. In two years (2015-2016) with the Cougars, Herman led Houston to a 22-4 record, including a 13-1 record in 2015 and a 38-24 Peach Bowl victory over Florida State. That season, Herman was named the AAC Coach of the Year.

In 2016, Herman led the Cougars to a 9-3 record, with quality wins over Big 12 champions Oklahoma, with quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield on the roster. Murray and Mayfield would go on to win the Heisman Trophy in back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018. Houston also beat Louisville in 2016, led by eventual Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Lamar Jackson.

With his success at Houston, Herman was able to trade up and secured the head coaching job with the Texas Longhorns. Upon his arrival in Austin, Herman wasted no time giving the fans something to cheer about. Herman led the Longhorns to four consecutive bowl victories, including the 2018 Sugar Bowl with a 10-4 record. Herman posted a 32-18 record during his tenure at Texas.

In those six glorious seasons with the Cougars and Longhorns, Herman posted an outstanding 54-22 coaching record. In addition, Herman led his teams to four Top 25 rankings, including finishing twice in the top ten.  

Whatever role Herman will have at Florida State, it would be in Norvell’s best interest to tap into Herman’s offensive mindset and utilize that knowledge on how to move the football up and down the field. The Seminoles will have weapons all over the field on offense, like receivers Duce Robinson and Machai Danzy, running backs Ousmane Kromah and Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner, and quarterback Ashton Daniels. Daniels has been named the starter after Norvell saw something special in his gunslinger.

But ball security has plagued Daniels throughout his collegiate career at Stanford and Auburn.

Herman has been known to mentor and tutor talented quarterbacks, and to get the very best out of them every Saturday.

During his time at Houston, Herman coached a talented signal-caller named Greg Ward Jr. Ward left scorched earth in his wake as he led the Cougars to gridiron glory while gaining over 8,000 yards of total offense and accounted for 70 touchdowns, in TWO seasons.

At Texas, Herman coached quarterback Sam Ehlinger for four years. Ehlinger went on to accumulate 11,346 passing yards (No. 2 all-time at Texas) and 94 touchdowns, with 27 interceptions and a career 62 percent completion percentage.

During the 2018 season, Ehlinger and the Longhorns beat Oklahoma in the Red River rivalry in a 48-45 win. Ehlinger accounted for 386 total yards and five touchdowns. Seven weeks later, Herman coached Ehlinger and the Longhorns to a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game in a rematch against their arch-nemesis and biggest rival, Oklahoma.

Under the watchful eye of Herman, Ehlinger accounted for 391 total yards and four touchdowns, this time in a 39-27 loss.  

Herman comes to the Seminoles at a critical time. Norvell has led Florida State to just seven wins the past two seasons. That must change, and the 2026 schedule does not help.

The Seminoles will play both SMU and Alabama in the month of September. Whatever role Herman will have with the Seminoles, he needs to have his skillful finger on the pulse of the Florida State offense if Norvell wants to get back to winning football games.

Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!