Florida State’s latest defensive collapse has Tony White squarely in the blast radius, but the Seminoles’ problems are too deep for one coordinator to absorb all the blame.
After two straight losses to ranked opponents, FSU has surrendered 1,152 yards. The worst of it came Saturday in Tuscaloosa, where the Seminoles jumped out to a 21-6 lead on Alabama before the defense unraveled. The Crimson Tide scored on nine consecutive possessions on the way to a 50-36 win.
That kind of breakdown has put White, the second-year defensive coordinator, on shaky ground. Mike Norvell didn’t name him directly on Monday, but he made clear the issues run through the coaching staff.
“none of it is solely on the players,” Norvell said, echoing a reporter’s wording, before adding, “It always comes down to the things coaches and what we do putting players in the right position."
He followed that up with, "We need to reevaluate what we're asking the players to do."
White, for his part, owned the mess. “It starts with me first.
It's my fault. I should have stayed aggressive.
I've just got to be really critical of myself.”
That may satisfy some of the immediate outrage, but it doesn’t solve the larger problem in Tallahassee. If Florida State is staring at another losing season under Norvell - potentially his fifth in seven years - then White is only the most obvious piece of a much bigger failure.
Norvell, an offensive-minded coach, has already taken over play-calling on that side of the ball this season, and FSU still hung 36 points on a top-10 team. The defense, though, keeps sinking the program. Even Norvell’s own words hinted at a staff-wide issue.
“I know what we're teaching is sound; I know what we're asking guys to do. It has not always looked that way when you turn on the film. That's a collection of all of us that need to be better,” Norvell said.
If White goes, that’s not the hard part. His defense has been poor, including against New Mexico State in Week 0. But the source of the rot appears wider than one coordinator, and it stretches beyond the sideline.
Norvell hired White to repair the defense after 2024, and two years into that move, the unit is still a mess. At some point, the head coach has to own that too. With his track record, another reset at coordinator wouldn’t fix the bigger issue.
The roster construction has been shaky as well. Financial limitations played a role, in part because of skepticism around Norvell and in part because of now-former athletic director Michael Alford’s miscalculations. Still, the roster is not good, especially on defense.
First-year general manager John Garrett, who came from Duke, was supposed to help the staff maximize what it had. Instead, the early returns are ugly.
The Desir twins created a tough situation by entering the transfer portal, and neither has justified the investment Florida State made to bring them back. The same goes for other misses, including Ashton Daniels, offensive line issues, and the money spent on Quintrevion Wisner.
Saturday also exposed the defense in plain sight. When White didn’t blitz, he had no answer for Russell.
The front didn’t generate enough pressure, and the secondary couldn’t hold up behind it. FSU blitzed on 60.6% of Keelon Russell’s dropbacks in Week 3.
On his 13 dropbacks against a 3- or 4-man rush, Russell completed all 13 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns.
Garrett was supposed to bring some stability ahead of what looks like an inevitable Norvell ending, but the first offseason has been rough enough to raise bigger questions. If Florida State makes a coaching change, there’s no reason to assume the next head coach should be tied to Garrett, either.
This needs to be a full teardown in Tallahassee. White can be the first domino, but if Florida State stops there, it will miss the point entirely.
In Other News...
Florida States Passing Struggles Put One Norvell Staff Decision Under Fire
Florida States passing game has become one of the more frustrating parts of an uneven season, and the discussion around it has started to focus as much on coaching structure as on quarterback play. The Seminoles entered the year with Austin Tucker handling the quarterbacks room, a notable setup for a former wide receiver who had not previously coached the position, and the production has not taken a step forward.
With the offense ranking 65th in the FBS and Ashton Daniels sitting at four touchdown passes and four interceptions, the scrutiny around that decision has only grown. Inside the staff, there are other options with more direct quarterback experience, including Tom Herman and Brady White, which makes the current arrangement look even more unusual as Florida State searches for answers through the air. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Could Finally Get Answer On Its Backup QB Battle
Florida State has spent the first three games of the 2026 season looking competitive, but the more intriguing development may be happening behind the starter. Ashton Daniels has handled every snap in the most recent game, while the Seminoles have kept the backup quarterback picture open between Malachi Marshall and Kevin Sperry. Marshall has been taking second-team reps in pregame, a sign that the staff is at least sorting out the depth chart while the games still matter.
Central Arkansas arrives on the schedule Sept. 26, and that matchup could finally give the Seminoles a chance to see what they have behind Daniels. If Florida State does turn to its backups, it would offer a real evaluation point in a battle that has been mostly fought in practice and pregame work so far. For a team that has stayed competitive early, the next question is less about the starter and more about who is ready if the Seminoles need the next man up. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Has A New Reason To Watch Ta'Shawn Poole Closely
Ta'Shawn Poole turned in one of the more eye-catching nights on a Georgia high school field this fall, and it came at a good time for a player Florida State will want to keep tabs on. In Howards 49-43 regional win over Baldwin, Poole set a Georgia state record with six touchdown catches while piling up 245 receiving yards, a performance that put his name squarely on the radar.
The outburst also came with some grit behind it, because Howard was coming off losses to Valdosta and Perry before finally breaking through. Poole also chipped in seven tackles and a tackle for loss, underscoring how much he affects the game on both sides of the ball, and he and his teammates made clear afterward that the lesson was about learning to keep fighting until the end. [Read more 🡒]