With fall camp underway, the Florida State Seminoles are looking to turn the page after a dismal 2024 season. Head coach Mike Norvell is determined to prove that the 2-10 disaster he suffered last year was a fluke. But to rebound Florida State will need a multitude of new playmakers to emerge. Fortunately for them, there is a new transfer playmaker emerging at a key position: junior Tight End Randy Pittman.
This offseason, FSU’s staff focused on acquiring key transfers who could immediately upgrade the offense. And while they added significant amounts of talent, the Seminoles also managed to add three players that fit new offensive coordinator Guz Malzhan’s system. According to SI.com, they are redshirt senior offensive lineman Adrian Medley, senior quarterback Tommy Castellanos, and junior tight end Randy Pittman. This familiarity is speeding up the Seminoles’ offensive reboot, making FSU one of the more intriguing bounce-back candidates in the ACC.
SI .com also reported that tight ends coach Chris Thomsen is especially enthusiastic about Pittman, joking that he “needs to be a coach” because of how thoroughly he understands both the schematic and fundamental demands of Malzahn’s offense. Pittman, Thomsen says, can act as a secondary coach on the field, sharing knowledge with teammates and setting the tone in practice.
Thomsen also went on to note Pittman has transformed himself physically, adding 10-15 pounds of muscle during the offseason. His additional frame should make him a more than capable blocker as well as receiving threat. Thomsen went on to say, “He’ll put his hat in there and brings explosiveness that you need to block well. I’m excited about that.”
Comparing last year’s tight end production with Pittman’s, the difference is staggering. In 2024 at UCF, Pittman posted 32 catches for 416 yards and two touchdowns. This is significantly better than what the top tight end at Florida State produced last year. Coaches see him as a major upgrade in both receiving and blocking, providing quarterback Tommy Castellanos a reliable new target on key downs.
Pittman’s prior experience in Malzahn’s system is proving invaluable during the transition. Pittman’s presence accelerates both installation and development. His knowledge removes one player that Malzahn has to worry about while also serving as another voice for the coach as he looks to implement his system.
The statistical leap at the tight end position is symbolic of a larger trend. Last year, FSU graded out near the bottom of the FBS for offensive effectiveness, according to Pro Football Focus. That should serve as no surprise to any poor soul that watched the Seminoles last season. But upgrades across the roster point to a massive spike in performance this year. FSU got better at numerous positions this offseason, and not insignificantly. Adding up all those new players and the incremental improvement that will provide will lead to a huge overall upswing for the team as a whole. Players like Pittman and Castellanos are perfect examples of players who improve the team individually. When added together, along with every other new FSU player, the Seminoles are poised to take a massive leap.
If Castellanos replicates his prior production and Pittman unlocks the full potential of the tight end role, FSU could quickly transform from ACC bottom-dwellers to serious contenders for a bowl berth.
The Seminoles face a tough early schedule, including a nationally televised opener against Alabama, but the ingredients for a turnaround are in place. If the offensive upgrades take hold, FSU could overachieve projections and shock the college football world by fall’s end. And the addition of Randy Pittman Jr. will indeed loom very large.
Disclaimer: The content of this article was originally published as a YouTube video on the SMI College Football Show YouTube channel. With AI assistance, the publisher of the video created this article based on the content of that video.
