Florida State football officially lost its offensive coordinator Monday, allowing Mike Norvell to assume play-caller duties.
Gus Malzahn won't spend his 61st birthday inside the Florida State football office this fall.
The offensive coordinator under Mike Norvell officially retired from coaching on Monday. FSU moved swiftly by naming Tim Harris Jr. the offensive coordinator in promoting him from wide receivers coach. Though Norvell will handle the play-calling duties.
But was Malzahn feeling burn out before Monday? Including considering retiring before the 2025 season?
Brendan Sonnone of Noles247 cleared the air on if Malzahn was thinking about hanging up the whistle and relinquishing his play caller status way before Monday's decision.
"Retiring was in consideration for over a year, since Malzahn was at UCF," Sonnone wrote.
That likely explains why the Knights struggled with him as head coach in the end. His last two UCF teams finished under .500 -- including the 4-8 one that costed him the head coaching position in 2024.
But the "R" word surfaced for Malzahn during his play-calling run in Tallahassee.
"Retirement remained an option for Malzahn late in the 2025 campaign as he dealt with various aspects including an ailing family member," Sonnone said.
It's not known who the ill relative was. But Malzahn ultimately made the decision to retire and later informed the team after making his mind up on Sunday evening.
Norvell had overheard Malzahn thinking about calling it a career. But managed to sell him on becoming the official "and only" FSU play caller ahead of the '25 campaign.
Turns out, however, Malzahn was drawing interest from outside of the FSU campus after the Seminoles finished 5-7.
"In addition to retirement, Malzahn did have conversations with several FBS programs about becoming a head coach. Staying at FSU was also on the table," Sonnone said.
But now Malzahn ends an illustrious CFB run that saw him create a vaunted RPO (run pass option) attack and win a national title as an assistant with the 2010 Auburn Tigers -- the one that featured Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton behind center.
Sonnone threw in the rumor that Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Kade Bell became a contender for FSU OC amid Malzahn's future. Bell, however, remains very much in place with the Panthers.
Norvell, meanwhile, will run the offense for the first time since he's been in Tallahassee. He's last called plays at Memphis and Arizona State in the last 10 years before Malzahn joined his Florida State staff.
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