Featured Story

FSU players commit to a journey that will challenge their daily mindset in 2025

From coast to coast, there are 68 Power 4 college football programs. For transfers who were late bloomers, seeking a fresh start, wanting to compete closer to home or improving their draft prospects, there are opportunities.

When it comes to the portal, we tend to think of coaches filling needs. We think of transfers seeking a quicker opportunity to get on the field and development (and, yes, dollars). We think of fans searching for optimism in win-loss improvement or a turnaround, projecting a transfer’s potential in their team’s offense or defense.

We should also think about this when it comes to the transfers who picked FSU: They want to be here, working through an offseason at a program that went 2-10 a year ago. They could have picked any number of Power 4 schools, including those where the road to a conference title or College Football Playoff spot is more direct.

We’ll go out on a limb here and argue FSU won’t be in the CFP in 2025. And to acknowledge that Clemson is a clear-cut favorite to win the ACC, in the driver’s seat with everyone else in the rear-view mirror. Perhaps the summer sun is extremely bright, but the visual is one where the objects in Clemson’s rear-view mirror really aren’t as close as they appear.

Coming off the struggles of 2024, just a few weeks later, Mike Norvell and the coaching staff began assembling a transfer class for the turnaround in 2025. What’s perhaps more impressive — more than the athleticism or stats — is that they have a year (or two) of eligibility left and picked a brand program, albeit one coming off a 2-10 season.

CONTINUE READING: A ROAD LESS TRAVELED →

From publisher Jerry Kutz

The beginning of a new era for college athletics

Months before Federal Judge Claudia Wilken approved the House vs NCAA settlement, which allows college athletic departments like Florida State to share as much as $22.5 million annually with its student-athletes, athletic directors wondered where the money would come from.

While the House settlement gives the schools a choice of how much they will share, the reality in this highly-competitive world of athletics is that those schools who wish to compete at the highest level will have no choice but to share at the highest level possible.

Which leaves athletic directors, who have no profit to share, searching for new sources of revenue. Traditionally, the money generated by revenue-generating sports like football and basketball is used to fund all the other sports that don’t generate enough to be self-funding. In fact, most athletic departments rely on $20 million or more in annual contributions from organizations like Seminole Boosters to balance their overall athletics budget.

Seeking relief, the athletic directors of the state schools in Florida – including FSU AD Michael Alford and Board of Trustee Peter Collins -- went to the Florida Board of Governors to make their case for relief should the House settlement be approved.

CONTINUE READING: A NEW ERA FOR COLLEGE ATHLETICS →

THE OSCEOLA

Duke right-hander Gabe Nard is the latest pitcher to transfer to Florida State. Nard went 6-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 29 games (two starts) for the Blue Devils in 2025. As a junior, Nard pitched 50.2 innings, striking out a career-best 45 batters and giving up just 17 walks in 50.2 innings.
FSU has hit the portal throughout the summer to strengthen the pitching staff, adding two left-handers (Florida Atlantic’s Trey Beard and Barry’s Kevin Mebil, as well as right-handers Bryson Moore (Virginia), Gabe Stokes (Oregon), Cade O’Leary (Mississippi State) and Charlie Christensen (Central Arkansas).
The FSU men’s basketball team will travel to Florida on Nov. 11 (a Tuesday). FSU will play host to Georgia on Dec. 2, and the Seminoles will travel to Dayton on Dec. 16. The full non-conference schedule has not yet been set.
What’s the best-case scenario for FSU football in 2025? That was among the subjects discussed by CBSSports.com’s Chip Patterson, which offered up his thoughts for all of the ACC’s teams. Best case? 9-3. “The Seminoles bounce back from one of the most embarrassing seasons in program history with a strong showing to steady the ship. With a schedule that includes Clemson, Alabama, Florida and Miami, running the table seems unlikely. But a win in at least one of those games offers encouragement for the future.”
Worst case? 5-7. “Failing to make a bowl brings about talk of a coaching change. That pressure would certainly weigh on the team heading into tightly-contested games against Virginia Tech and at NC State.”
There’s more from CBS on the Seminoles and the other ACC schools. Clemson, of course, is held in high regard with a best-case scenario of running the table at 12-0 and a worst case at 9-3.
Of note, the best-case scenarios for Wake (6-6), Virginia (7-5) and Stanford (6-6) would reinforce that those are golden opportunities for FSU to stack wins.

Did You Know?

FSU is the only school in NCAA history to finish in the Top 5 of both football and baseball in the same year - they've done it FIVE times! (1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, and 1999).

The Seminoles are one of only two schools to win national championships in football, baseball, and basketball - cementing their status as a true three-sport powerhouse.