Sources confirm to FootballScooop this morning that former Seminoles staffer Gabe Fertitta is heading back to Tallahassee with a new role.
Fertitta is set to rejoin Mike Norvell's staff in Tallahassee as director of football strategy and will also hold the title of offensive assistant coach as well.
In his role, he is set to not only assist Norvell, but also be a key support piece for new offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr., who was elevated to the offensive coordinator post following the recent retirement of Gus Malzahn after one season calling the offense for the program.
ESPN has also reported the hire.
The move comes after Fertitta just wrapped up his first season as the offensive coordinator for the Nicholls State (FCS - LA) program.
Prior to the job with Nicholls, Fertitta spent three seasons as an analyst with the Seminoles, holding the senior offensive analyst title on Norvell's staff.
He also previously worked in a quality control role at Louisville back in 2021.
Before the opportunity with the Cardinals, Fertitta had made a name for himself at the high school level. As the head coach at Catholic HS (Baton Rouge, LA), Fertitta went 43-8 over four seasons leading the prestigious program. He took the Bears to the state title game each of his four seasons in charge, and captured state titles in 2017 and 2020.
He also had a stop as the head coach at St. Stanislaus, located on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, for three seasons. His best season there came back in 2013 when they went 12-1 and advanced to the third round of the state playoffs.
Overall as a high school head coach, Fertitta put together an impressive 59-25 record with a pair of Louisiana state titles while developing a number of standout college players, and a handful that have gone on to NFL careers.
At Florida State, he joins a Seminoles program eager to return to their 2023 form, when they finished 13-1 and were controversially not selected to take part in the four-team College Football Playoff field that had not yet expanded to 12-teams.
The past two seasons, Norvell and the Seminoles have missed the postseason altogether, going 2-10 in 2024 followed by a 5-7 mark this past season. Norvell now enters year seven with the team, holding a 38-34 record overall, including a pair of double-digit win seasons in 2022 and 2023.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.