Which incoming Seminoles player is anticipated to break out in this offense? Even with the departure of the offensive coordinator?
Gus Malzahn exiting from Florida State became the biggest early surprise of 2026.
But is Malzahn's departure as offensive coordinator a good thing for one notable FSU transfer portal addition?
Malzahn ran an explosive run pass option (RPO) offense that put defenses on their heels and won him the 2010 National Championship with Auburn. Cam Newton proved he can thrive in this system.
Ashton Daniels is now the front runner to execute the system Malzahn bequeaths. Yet the quarterback isn't the notable transfer who's capable of doing well without Malzahn.
So who is it among the incoming veterans coming to Tallahassee? Noles247 insider Brendan Sonnone believes its Texas running back transfer Quintrevion "Tre" Wisner.
Sonnone's reasoning behind the fit stems from Wisener being "a far more effective outside zone runner (83rd percentile in YPC) than inside zone (63rd percentile)." Malzahn's offense stressed the latter.
Yet here's why Sonnone believes that having Mike Norvell call the offense will benefit the RB more.
"First, FSU's run game is probably going to look different," Sonnone stated. "Last season under Gus Malzahn, the Inside Zone was FSU's go-to."
The insider cited that the presence of offensive line coach Herb Hand (who also once coached at Texas) persuaded the inside running scheme. But Sonnone believes Norvell will make some tweaks that'll benefit Wisner.
"A trend I noticed in going back to a lighter time in Norvell's career is that the favorite run concepts often changed by season. The tailoring to personnel was real," he said. "From 2022-24 (when Norvell was the primary play caller with Alex Atkins as the OC), we saw the heavy dose of Counter (31%), but then Outside Zone (19%), Inside Zone (16%) and Man (14%) were all relatively heavy parts of the run game."
Sonnone then dove into how Wisner can become more of a fit for the post-Malzahn offense.
"Bringing in a player whose ability to push runs horizontally and then find cutback lanes at such a high level, and then running an offense that really didn't feature that skill…it didn't make a lot of sense, to me. While I feel like Wisner was going to be a solid IZ (inside zone) runner because of his vision, the longer cuts and just his style fit better with horizontal runs," Sonnone said. "And what we've seen under Norvell, generally, is an emphasis on adjusting scheme to fit what his offense does well."
Sonnone added: "This includes a willingness to turn to runs that stress defenses with horizontal movements rather than vertical ones."
He is a believer that the past College Football Playoff performer will fit just fine in Tallahassee.
"Wisner was one of FSU's more proven additions in the Transfer Portal, and probably one of the pricier ones relative to position/market. Getting into an offense that fits his strengths better just makes sense," Sonnone said.
FSU gains a past 1,000-yard runner from Austin in the process.
Join our NOLES ROUNDTABLE community! It's completely 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.