Florida State’s Sunday shakeup reached all the way back to Nebraska, with the Seminoles moving on from two former Husker assistants after another ugly loss pushed the program into full reset mode.
The school announced it had fired former Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White and former Huskers safeties coach Evan Cooper, along with head coach Mike Norvell. White and Cooper were both in their second season in Tallahassee.
Florida State is 3-5 overall and 1-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play after Saturday night’s 36-24 home loss to Clemson. In that game, Clemson quarterback Tait Reynolds threw two touchdown passes, matching the team’s season total entering the game, and also added a 79-yard touchdown run to close it out.
White’s exit had been building for a while. He arrived at Florida State after two strong seasons in Lincoln, where Nebraska’s defense was among the best in the country.
But the move south has not gone nearly as well. In 20 games as defensive coordinator, White’s defense allowed 25.44 points per game on average.
This season, Florida State ranks 111th out of 138 FBS programs in rushing yards allowed per game and 114th in passing yards allowed per game.
The Seminoles’ defensive low points have piled up, including giving up scores on nine straight possessions against Alabama and then absorbing a 44-6 run from Louisville, which rushed for nearly 400 yards.
Cooper’s path to Florida State was a little different. He resigned as Nebraska’s safeties coach just weeks before fall camp in 2024.
He also served as the passing game coordinator and had worked with Rhule at several previous coaching stops. Neither Nebraska nor Cooper has publicly explained why he left so suddenly.
He then joined White at Florida State that December, becoming the third former Nebraska coach on the staff alongside defensive line coach Terrance ‘Pork Chop’ Knighton.
Knighton remains on staff for now, though his future will be tied to the next head coach.
While Florida State tears things down, Nebraska is dealing with its own frustration after a third straight loss. Husker fans are already asking whether anyone on the staff will answer for the slide, even though Nebraska remains the only program in the country to hold a fourth-quarter lead in all eight games. The bigger pattern is hard to miss: Rhule’s teams have started 5-0 in each of the last three years, then faded to 5-3.
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