The Florida State Seminoles are about to start their season on 30th August against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Seminoles had a forgettable run last season, which was dubbed as one of the worst in the program’s history.
Heading into the new season, they’ll need to do something extraordinary to get the respect back. However, not everyone is convinced that they’ll be able to make a real splash. On a recent episode of ‘The Joel Klatt Show’, Klatt shared his thoughts on the team’s chances this season.
“I look up, they lost last year, I believe it was nine games by 10 or more,” Klatt said. “So, this is not a team that was like snake bit, close games. They were getting their doors blown off, and it was a top 10 team to start the year. I don’t love the thought of them jumping back in.”
Klatt also questioned the Seminoles’ roster and its quality. Contrary to popular belief, he thinks that Florida State doesn’t have a strong roster. In his opinion, it’s a fake image that has been curated by their transfer portal signings.
“Everyone thinks that, oh, they’ve been great. No, actually, they’ve just lived in the transfer portal, which I don’t think makes you a contender and that’s been proven out by the last two national championships.”
Klatt differentiated between Florida State and other teams by using Michigan and Ohio as examples. He stated that even though they made some valuable signings, Michigan and Ohio have built their roster from within, whereas Florida State is primarily depending on their transfers.
Klatt criticized the Seminoles’ high school recruiting and highlighted some of their recent failures. Their recruiting ranking is 19th in 2025, 12th in 2024, 20th in 2023 and 2022, and 23rd in 2021. The Seminoles are coming off a 10-loss season, sitting at the bottom of the chart, for the first time since 1974.
FSU’s Tony White berated his players publicly
The Seminoles are about two weeks away from their season opener against the Crimson Tide. With so much pressure on them to perform well this season, it’d be expected of them to be in the right spirit. However, the reality is completely different.
After their second preseason scrimmage on Sunday, Tony White, the defensive coordinator of the team, spoke to the media about his team’s performance. In his assessment, Mike Norvell’s players aren’t all on the same page.
“There are some guys who showed, guys who are building the coach’s trust and the confidence of their teammates,” White said. “And there are some guys who need to, quite frankly, step their a*s up.”
This could be a result of Klatt’s claim that FSU isn’t developing players from within, as White pointed out that some of the players are not meeting the Seminoles’ standards.
“It’s unacceptable. We all need to make sure we are all on the same page and we understand what’s asked of us and what the expectations are,” he said. “Either guys do it or they don’t, and it’s not right if you don’t.”
“There’s some guys who need to, quite frankly, step their ass up. It’s unacceptable.” – Florida State Defensive Coordinator Tony White
The Seminoles open the season at home against Alabama in 18 days. pic.twitter.com/8ivE4WxTbQ
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) August 12, 2025
White did, however, note that there are some players who are showing complete dedication, but the Seminoles are still far from looking like a complete team.
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