Florida State Needs To Find Physicality In The Trenches

It isn’t often that a top-25 scoring offense misses out on bowl eligibility, but that’s exactly what happened to Florida State in 2025. 

That is a trend head coach Mike Norvell is hoping to reverse heading into the 2026 season.

On the surface, the Seminoles’ offense looked productive. Florida State averaged 33 points per game, ranking No. 22 nationally, while its 218.7 rushing yards per contest ranked 11th in the FBS. Those numbers suggest a dominant ground game, but a deeper dive reveals a more complicated story.

Quarterback Thomas Castellanos was a major reason for that production, leading the team with 557 rushing yards. Remove his dual-threat ability from the equation, and the shortcomings of Florida State’s traditional rushing attack become much more apparent.

The Seminoles’ offensive line appears to be built around an athletic, zone-based rushing scheme rather than a power-running identity. Florida State was at its best running between the tackles, averaging 6.7 yards per carry on runs directed up the middle. The right side of the line also generated consistent production, averaging 5.6 yards per carry behind right guard and 5.0 yards per carry behind right tackle.

The left side, however, was a different story.

Florida State averaged just 3.5 yards per carry on 37 rushing attempts behind left tackle, making it the least productive traditional run lane on the offensive line. 

Left tackle Gunnar Hansen logged 376 run-blocking snaps and earned a 55.0 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, illustrating the inconsistency the Seminoles experienced on the edge.

That is one reason Norvell turned to Auburn transfer Xavier Chaplin this offseason. Chaplin posted a 56.4 overall run-blocking grade in 2025, but there is reason for optimism. He earned a grade of 60.0 or better in four of his final five games, suggesting his best football came late in the season.

The individual grades further illustrate Florida State’s identity. 

Center Luke Pettibon was the Seminoles’ most consistent run blocker, earning a 66.5 run-blocking grade while posting an impressive 71.7 grade on zone concepts. Left guard Adrian Medley added a solid 65.9 run-blocking grade, while tackle Micah Pettus was the team’s highest-graded tackle at 70.4 overall and an outstanding 75.8 on zone runs.

Where Florida State struggled was in the gap concepts.

Nearly every starting offensive lineman saw a significant drop in production when blocking power and counter schemes. Hansen’s grade dropped from 63.1 on zone plays to 52.5 on gap concepts. Medley fell from 69.5 to 57.7, while Richie Leonard IV experienced one of the largest declines, going from a 64.4 zone grade to just 48.8 in gap schemes. Those numbers suggest this is a line that wins with athleticism, angles and positioning rather than consistently creating vertical movement at the point of attack.

With Norvell once again turning to the transfer portal with four new starters in Chaplin at left tackle, guard Paul Bowling (Troy), center Bradyn Joiner (Purdue), and right tackle Nate Pabst (Bowling Green), they will look to be more physical not just in zone but in gap concepts where Joiner, Bowling, and Pabst each had a gap run block grade above 60 with Chaplin having a 57.9 grade.

Florida State has a capable offensive line that can create efficient rushing lanes in its preferred scheme, but the numbers do not indicate a unit that consistently overwhelms opponents physically. Against fast, disruptive defensive fronts that penetrate gaps and force offenses out of their zone-running comfort zone, the Seminoles can become much easier to defend.

If Florida State wants to pair its explosive offense with sustained success in 2026, finding more physicality and consistency in the trenches, especially on the left side and in gap-running situations, will be just as important as any improvement from its skill-position players.