Florida State is bringing in Tom Herman. The veteran coach is joining Mike Norvell’s staff, though the school hasn’t said exactly what he’ll be doing yet. According to On3, Herman is on board after spending last season away from college football.
Herman’s head coaching resume is a mixed bag. He went 60-36 overall across eight seasons at Houston, Texas, and Florida Atlantic. He’s also a perfect 5-0 in bowl games, which is the kind of stat that gets you hired. But his most recent stop at FAU ended badly. The Owls went 6-16 under him, and he was fired with two games left in 2024 after an 0-6 start in conference play.
Before that, Herman had real success. At Texas, he went 32-18 over four seasons. His 2018 team won 10 games, made the Big 12 Championship, and beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. That was the high point. The Longhorns won a bowl game in each of his four years, but it wasn’t enough to keep his job after 2020.
His breakthrough came at Houston. The Cougars went 22-4 in two seasons, including a 13-1 run in 2015. They won the AAC, beat Florida State in the Peach Bowl, and Herman won AAC Coach of the Year. That was the season that put him on the national map.
Herman also has a long resume as an assistant. He was Ohio State’s offensive coordinator in 2014 when they won the national championship. He won the Broyles Award that year as the top assistant in the country. He’s coached quarterbacks and wide receivers for 25 years, including a season as an offensive analyst with the Chicago Bears in 2021.
This hire comes at a weird time for Florida State. The offense has been a mess. Former coordinator Gus Malzahn stepped away in February, and the Seminoles promoted Tim Harris to take over. Fall camp starts in less than a month, so Herman is walking into a situation that needs quick answers.
Norvell is under pressure. After going 13-1 in 2023, the Seminoles have dropped to 7-17 over the last two seasons. That’s a brutal fall. Herman brings a ton of experience and a track record of developing offenses, but the question is whether he can translate that into wins in Tallahassee. The pieces are there. The staff just has to put them together.
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