Tom Herman is Joining Florida State Football: What You Need to Know

The Big News: A New Coach in Town

Imagine your school team needs a new teacher for planning scoring plays. Here’s what just happened in the simple version:

• On Monday, a reporter named Matt LaSerre (who works for On3 and Warchant) shared the news.
• Tom Herman, who used to be the "head boss" (head coach) for teams at Texas, Houston, and FAU, is joining the Florida State football coaching team.
• Herman took a break and did not coach at all during the 2025-26 college football playing season.
• Why was he on a break? He was let go (fired) from FAU in 2024, with just two games left to play in that season.

Who is Tom Herman? (His Story So Far)

Tom Herman has had a wild ride in his coaching career—some amazing highs and some tricky lows. Let’s look at his report card:

• The Wins: He was part of some awesome seasons!
  • In 2014, he helped Ohio State win the biggest prize in college football (a national title) as their offensive coordinator (the coach who plans how the team scores points).
  • In 2018, he won a famous big game called the Sugar Bowl with Texas.
• The Struggles: It hasn’t all been perfect.
  • His most recent job was at FAU (a team nicknamed the Owls). He coached for almost two seasons (22 games total) and only won 6 times while losing 16 times.
  • As we mentioned, he was let go before the 2024 season even finished.

Important Point: Even though Herman has won huge trophies before, his latest job did not go well at all!

Off-the-Field Baggage (The Drama)

Sometimes coaches have drama outside of the games, and Herman has a little of that:

• The "Frosty" Handshake: Two years ago, he had a very unfriendly (frosty) handshake with Alex Golesh. Golesh used to coach at USF and is now the head coach at Auburn.
• Personal Life Stories: There were some not-so-nice (distasteful) stories shared about his personal life from when he was at Ohio State (OSU).

Why is Florida State Making This Move?

Florida State’s main boss, head coach Mike Norvell, clearly felt he needed an extra set of hands. Here is the simple reason broken down into steps:

1. In February, the team’s old offensive coordinator (the scoring-plays planner), Gus Malzahn, suddenly retired (stopped working).
2. Norvell needed more help planning the offense (how the team attacks and scores).
3. By bringing Herman in, Norvell hopes to share some of that heavy workload and get a fresh opinion.

The Timing and What Happens Next

• This is a very late addition during the "offseason" (the break time before games start).
• "Fall camp" (the practice period before the real games begin) starts in less than a month!
• Herman should bring a fresh pair of eyes and take some of the offensive planning off of Norvell’s plate (shoulders).

Summary

To wrap it up simply: Florida State is hiring experienced but recently struggling coach Tom Herman to help their head coach Mike Norvell with planning scoring plays. Herman has won big trophies in the past (like a national title in 2014), but he also had a rough last job and some off-field drama. Since the old planner retired suddenly, Herman is jumping in just in time for pre-season practice to lend a hand.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. What does an "offensive coordinator" do in simple terms?
Think of them as the play designer. While the head coach is the boss of the whole team, the offensive coordinator specifically draws up the plans for how the team tries to score points against the other team.

2. Why did Tom Herman not coach in the 2025-26 season?
He was fired from his job at FAU (Florida Atlantic University) in 2024 with two games left in their season. Because he was let go, he didn’t have a coaching job for the following 2025-26 season.

3. Who is Mike Norvell?
Mike Norvell is the head coach (the top boss) of the Florida State football team. He is the one who decided to hire Tom Herman to help his staff.

4. What is "fall camp"?
Fall camp is a special practice period that happens in the late summer (fall) before the actual football games start. It’s where teams get ready and learn to work together.