Florida State and Mike Norvell’s offense failed miserably in the 2024 season. Some blamed it on the appalling QB play from DJ Uiagalelei. While others put it on ineffective and near-terrible rushing offense. However , there were more reasons. The receivers dropped more than 25 passes. To be honest, a whole book can be written on what went wrong with Florida State in 2024, but even then, the major and most ignored problem was its offensive line.
The injury of tackle Darius Washington Jr brought in more woes than ever seen in the program as the O line failed to protect their QB and allowed the most sacks in the country (48) . The rushing game suffered too because of the porous and faulty offensive line, as the players failed to open running lanes for their offensive players. The truth was that DJ Uiagalelei would have performed even better if the O line had protected their QB well. Moreover, we also saw Luke Kromenhoek and Brock Glenn behind the center, but the output didn’t improve. So, the verdict was clear: the O-line needed major change.
Mike Norvell, to improve his fortunes in the 2025 season, started doing extensive recruiting as he roped in some of the best O-line prospects in the country. In came Luke Petibon from Wake Forest, Jaelyne Matthews from Rutgers, Micah Pettus from Ole Miss, and finally Gunnar Hansen from Vanderbilt. The O-line problem now seems to have taken a U-turn with the signings of some of the most intriguing prospects. Moreover, now Mike Norvell has roped in another prospect and teammate of Gunnar Hansen from Vanderbilt.
The red-shirt freshman offensive tackle for Vanderbilt, who entered the transfer portal, has finally committed to FSU. Hayes Fawcett, the ON3 national reporter, wrote on his Instagram account, “Vanderbilt transfer OL Joshua Raymond has committed to Florida State, he tells @on3. The 6’4 300 OL will have 4 years of eligibility remaining…Was an Under Armour All-American coming out of HS.”
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