Mike Norvell overhauled his coaching staff and his roster following last season's disastrous 2-10 campaign. While a lot of the talk is on new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, perhaps more importantly, was the hire of Tony White as defensive coordinator.
White spent the last two seasons at Nebraska as the DC and brings a new defensive scheme with him to Florida State. The Seminoles will employ a 3-3-5 defense, one that will provide unique challenges to Kalen DeBoer and new starting QB Ty Simpson.
A 3-3-5 is effectively a nickel defense, but with more versatile defenders than your traditional defense. In White's scheme, there's a "Jack" LB, who can play OLB or effectively become the fourth down defensive lineman depending on what the defense is seeing. The projected starter for Florida State is redshirt junior James Williams, who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 259 pounds. Williams knows White's scheme well - he played for him at Nebraska the last two seasons before joining him in Tallahassee.
The other crucial position is the "Rover" a hybrid defensive back that has to be able to cover as well as come down into the box and make plays against the run. Alabama fans are familiar with the projected starter there for FSU - it's former Tide DB Earl Little Jr. Little has been a career back-up to this point, but will get his chance at a starting role this year.
On paper, most believe that the best course of action to attack a nickel defense is to go heavy and run the football. That's not always true. The 3-3-5 was derived out of necessity in the early 1990s to stop the power run.
Joe Lee Dunn, then the DC at Memphis, is credited with the creation. He needed a way to try and combat the bigger and stronger players that USC had. He couldn't outmass them, so he put more speed on the field in hopes of beating linemen to spots. It worked, and Memphis upset USC 21-10 in 1991.
If you have quick, athletic guards, it can help open up the rushing lanes. If you have slower, bigger guards, it might be tough to run the football, at least on the plays you want your guards to pull. Alabama could try and combat that by using Parker Brailsford as more of a pulling center. He's highly athletic and should be able to get there quicker than Geno VanDeMark, Kam Dewberry, or, if healthy, Jaeden Roberts.
White fielded a Top 10 defense against the run at Nebraska last season, but they struggled against the pass. The Huskers finished 64th in passing defense.
Ty Simpson will look to attack the seams
In the passing game, the seams are typically the weak point in the 3-3-5 defense based on how it aligns. But White will be multiple in how he lines his defense up. The biggest thing for Simpson in his first career start will be identifying the exotic blitz packages that are sure to come.
That's what makes the loss of Jam Miller more significant than what it does to Alabama's running game. Having a senior in the backfield who can help protect the quarterback is pivotal. Simpson being able to identify where the blitz is coming from and get the ball out hot will be key. If he gets confused and flustered, it could be a long afternoon for the Tide's offense.
Ryan Grubb will look to put the "Jack" and "Rover" in conflict as often as he can. If they get the Jack LB in coverage against the running backs or perhaps some of the Tide's athletic tight ends, there should be plays to be made.
Keeping the "Rover" guessing will be key, too. If they can get him to key to the box, they can throw over the top.
Alabama's tight ends could be significant
Alabama needs a healthy Josh Cuevas and Danny Lewis Jr. in this game. Both have been limited during fall camp, but at this time, both are expected to play on Saturday. Cuevas could be in line for a big game if he's able to hold up to the workload. Don't be surprised if one of the freshmen - Marshall Pritchett or Kaleb Edwards - gets a few snaps to try and take advantage of their athleticism against FSU linebackers.
Alabama will also move star WR Ryan Williams around in the formation. It wouldn't surprise me to see him line up in the backfield at times before splitting out to try and put the Seminoles' defense into more conflict pre-snap.
It'll be a chess match between Grubb and White. Both will try to confuse the other. Alabama's offense uses a ton of pre-snap motion to try and get the defense to show their hand. White will hope his defense is able to stay disciplined enough not to give anything away.
Simpson will need to use his legs
Grubb may prefer Simpson to win games with his arm early in the season and avoid taking unnecessary hits early in the season, but he may have no choice. If the Noles are going to drop seven into coverage to combat the Tide's passing game, it could open up running lanes for Simpson.
Hopefully, White is approaching defending Simpson like so many others have mentioned throughout the offseason. The perception has been that Simpson is a "statue" in the pocket, which couldn't be further from the truth. He's not a Jalen Milroe-type runner - not many are - but he's a true dual-threat and will make you pay if you don't respect his legs.
Whether this game turns into a two+ touchdown blowout in favor of Alabama or if it's ultimately a coin flip in the fourth quarter will come down to how Simpson and the Alabama offense perform. There are major unknowns for both sides when the Crimson Tide has the ball.
FSU may not know what to expect entirely from the Alabama offense. It will look a lot more like it did in Washington in 2023 than in Tuscaloosa last season.
And for Florida State, they'll have to hope that the new pieces fit together better than they did a year ago. For the second year in a row, Norvell lived in the Transfer Portal. He hopes a big boom will follow last season's big bust.