Florida State had one of the most disappointing seasons in college football last year, going 2-10 despite entering the season ranked No. 10 in the AP poll.
Now, as Alabama gets ready for its first-ever visit to Doak Campbell Stadium on August 30 — entering the matchup as a 13-point favorite — last year’s struggles offer limited insight into what to expect this fall.
The Seminoles’ offense will be under new leadership with Gus Malzahn, the former Auburn and UCF head coach, now serving as offensive coordinator. At quarterback, they’ll feature Tommy Castellanos, who transferred from Boston College to reunite with Malzahn after initially playing for him at UCF. With so many changes, the Week 1 strategic battle is already being planned out, even months ahead of kickoff.
Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack, speaking at the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday, reflected on his past experience playing under Malzahn at Arkansas in 2006.
“When you look at our opener against Florida State, they’ve got an athletic quarterback,” Wommack said, according to AL.com. “Having played for Gus, I understand his quarterback run concepts — and Coach Norvell incorporates similar ideas. That’s something we’ll have to account for, just like many teams do these days.”
Malzahn is also familiar with Wommack’s defensive system, which was developed by his father, Dave Wommack, during his time at Ole Miss.
Castellanos carried the ball 93 times for 194 yards last season during Bill O’Brien’s first year at Boston College. However, in 2023, he led the team with 1,113 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
Alabama had inconsistent results defending mobile quarterbacks last season — limiting South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers to just 19 yards on 16 carries, but allowing 131 rushing yards on 25 attempts to Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold.
Wommack emphasized how quarterback runs have become a bigger factor in today’s game: “Across the league, more teams are using the quarterback in the run game. That stretches defenses when paired with receivers who can attack vertically and horizontally, and tight ends who can make plays in space.”
He added that balancing coverage responsibilities while maintaining structure against the quarterback run has been a key area of defensive evolution — and remains a priority in preparing for every opponent.
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