Florida State adds ex-Auburn assistant to offensive staff

Entering an absolutely pivotal 2026 after enduring his fourth losing season in six at the helm, Florida State coach Mike Norvell is continuing his offseason revamp of the Seminoles coaching staff.

The latest move? FootballScoop has learned that Norvell has added former Auburn University assistant quarterbacks coach Jesse Stone to the Florida State staff.

Stone, FootballScoop was informed, will maintain the same position as in his three previous seasons at Auburn and be Florida State’s assistant quarterbacks coach.

A former college quarterback who logged time with three different programs in his playing career, Stone first joined the staff of then-Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze in 2022 and was brought by Freeze to Auburn prior to the 2023 season.

Additionally, Stone has coached at Central Florida (UCF), a pair of Southeastern Conference programs and also the Miami Hurricanes of Manny Diaz in 2019.

In the SEC, Stone has logged stints as a graduate assistant working with quarterbacks at both Arkansas and Georgia. The work with the Razorbacks in 2014-15 was the first of Stone’s two stints in the Arkansas program; he worked as offensive personnel director for the Arkansas offense in 2020.

Norvell has parted ways with coaches on both sides of the line of scrimmage and hired replacements to tutor the Seminoles running backs, defensive ends and secondary. Now, Stone is another hire to bolster the offense.

Florida State finished its 2025 season at 5-7 as Norvell’s overall record in Tallahassee, Florida, dipped to just 38-34 overall; he won 23 games in the 2022-23 seasons combined and just 15 total games in his other four campaigns.

The Seminoles are scheduled to open their 2026 season in a Week Zero game Aug. 29 at home against New Mexico State before facing Atlantic Coast Conference foe SMU nine days later in a primetime Labor Day game, also at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles then play the first of their two non-conference games against SEC opponents Sept. 19 at Alabama, a 2025 College Football Playoff participant and the SEC’s runner-up last season.