Florida State's offensive line struggles are obvious - they haven't sent a single player to the NFL since Rick Leonard in 2018. This big problem needs to be fixed before star QB recruit Jaden O'Neal gets to campus.
The trouble started during Jimbo Fisher's time as coach from 2013-2017. Here's a rough stat: out of 19 offensive linemen recruited, only one made it to the NFL. Making things worse, almost half didn't finish their time at FSU.
Now Herb Hand steps in to fix things. He's known for building solid running games - something FSU hasn't had since their best years.
Bad blocking hurt everyone on the team. Promising players like George Campbell and Ermon Lane never panned out. After Jameis Winston left in 2014, quarterbacks kept getting knocked around behind shaky protection.
Rick Trickett's tough-guy coaching style didn't work out. Players transferred away, and those who stuck around never developed like they should have.
With O'Neal coming soon, coaches need to work quickly. The freshman won't play right away, giving Hand some time to build better protection.
Some recent numbers look good. FSU's offense ranked in the top 10 nationally in 2022. Jordan Travis ran 82 times - mostly because he had to, not because it was planned.
The recipe for success is in FSU's history. Fisher's early teams dominated with great blocking and smart offense. That's what Hand wants to bring back.
Since 2018, three head coaches - Willie Taggart, Mike Norvell, and their staff - haven't been able to fix the offensive line.
Hand is starting with the basics of run blocking. It matches how FSU played in their glory days, when quarterbacks won with talent, not just by running for their lives.
