When Gus Malzahn left his post as head coach at UCF to become Florida State’s offensive coordinator, many questioned whether it was a step down. For most people that would hurt one’s ego. Everyone wants to be the best of the best but sometimes being the best at what you love is not important. This was the case for Gus Malzahn. For him, it wasn’t a demotion but more so a return to what he truly loves: coaching football without all the extra noise. And in FSU’s 31–17 season-opening win over No. 8 Alabama, that decision paid immediate dividends.
Malzahn The Head Coach To Offensive Coordinator
Malzahn had grown weary of what modern head coaching had become. The constant management of the transfer portal, NIL negotiations, agents, and boosters left little room for actual football. He’s said as much and describes himself as an old-school coach who missed the purity of game-planning, scheming, and working directly with players. Being the head coach of a football team there’s a lot more that goes into it than just ball talk and scheming up against other teams. You’re the guy with all the answers and have to lead a bunch of different operations within the programs. At Florida State, under Head Coach Mike Norvell, he found a role that allowed him to just be himself again.
Norvell and Malzahn share similar offensive philosophies and terminology, which made this transition as seamless as it could be. This is probably one of the main reasons why they hit the ground running as an offense without much hiccup in their game despite this weekend being his first game with the team. Malzahn also brought with him trusted offensive line coach Herb Hand, reinforcing continuity and familiarity on the offensive staff. More importantly, he gained the freedom to focus on strategy and play-calling, and to do so without distractions.
Castellanos-Malzahn Connection
That renewed focus was clear against Alabama, who he is very familiar with during his time as head coach at Auburn. With a calm demeanor and sharp game plan, Malzahn called a game that controlled the tempo, maximized quarterback Tommy Castellanos’ dual-threat abilities, and exploited the weaknesses in Alabama’s defense. FSU’s offense ran with confidence and precision all day long. They accumulated up to 230 rushing yards controlling the line scrimmage, which wasn’t something many analysts could’ve predicted. Chewing the clock and limiting Alabama to only nine possessions was another element that factored into why this style of play kept FSU ahead. Alabama looked flustered all afternoon and couldn’t adjust mid-game to what FSU had coming their way as an offense. This was a huge testament to Malzahn.
Castellanos previously played under Malzahn at UCF before transferring to Boston College and then reuniting with him at Florida State. It was clear and evident that he was a great fit for Malzahn’s scheme with everything on display Saturday. He is the perfect mold for what Malzahn was successful with at Auburn having great athletic ability and also displaying his arm talent being able to test defenses just enough. The ability to stop a true dual threat passer has been Alabama’s cryptonite dating back to the Johnny Manziel days. He finished with 152 passing yards and 78 on the ground, looking comfortable and composed in an offense tailor-made for his skill set. After the game, Castellanos said they had full faith in Malzahn’s play-calling showing the trust between both the player and the coach.
Just Having Fun With It
That history is no small thing. Malzahn had faced Alabama many times during his Auburn tenure and has beaten them more than once. His knowledge of their tendencies, defensive habits, and how to attack their structure gave FSU a tactical edge. What was surprising was how well he had an answer for everything Alabama threw his way despite his time coaching at Auburn being against a different coach, Nick Saban. Makes you wonder how much Deboer just tried to copy and paste once he was thrusted into the position.
After the win, Malzahn posted, “Felt like old times tonight,” and it was easy to see why. This was a coach who looked at ease, having fun, just calling plays. No booster meetings. No media. No worrying about the defense and special teams. Just football. And with that peace of mind came creativity and confidence in his decision making.
Florida State’s offense wasn’t just good—it was efficient, explosive, and disciplined. That’s what happens when someone of Coach Malzahn’s pedigree as a play-caller is in his element. Malzahn did what was right for him, being freed from the burdens of head coaching. He’s digging up old creative plays from his Tulsa days, according to CBS Sports, when he was an Offensive Coordinator previously. This looked like the version of himself that once led Auburn to a national title game. And if the Alabama game was any indication, Florida State might be poised for a return back to national prominence with how things unfolded against the SEC powerhouse.
Most coaches might’ve just continued going on with their profession as a head coach instead of taking a backseat the way Malzahn did. In his eyes, this wasn’t a backseat or step back in any way. This was him finding himself again. Malzahn didn’t need a title to prove his worth. He just needed a headset and a play sheet. And against Alabama, that was more than enough.
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