After taking the practice field on Monday for the first time, the Seminoles came back out on Wednesday for their second day of spring ball. The Noles are still in shells, not full pads, and the sessions are closed to the media. However, the local Tallahassee press met with director of football strategy Gabe Fertitta to learn more about why he came back to Florida State, after spending 2022-2024 with the program, and what his new role entails.
“We absolutely loved being in Tallahassee…My end goal is to one day be a head coach, and that’s something I’ve talked to Coach Norvell about. So you look at those opportunities and say ‘does this opportunity get me closer to what the opportunity that I ultimately want to do for myself and for my family.”
“My role, it is a unique thing. When the coach and I first talked about it, there was a lot of back-and-forth about what he wanted it to look like, what I wanted it to look like, and how we would mesh those two things together…To be able to do this role it also takes somebody with good people skills. Part of the role is also the interaction between the coaches.”
Fertitta dove deeper into his responsibilities later in his availability, noting that he has a hand in every position on offense but wants to lead from the back, not the front.
“Day-to-day, I go to a different offensive meeting every day. I sit in that meeting and just help the coach…Usually, whatever meeting group I join for the day, I hang with them throughout the day and try to reinforce what the coach was saying.”
Alongside helping Coach Norvell, as an offensive analyst, Fertitta wants to be around and aid newly minted offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr.
“Helping Coach Harris is on the top of my job responsibility…His leadership is really unique. He’s great with people. He knows what he wants, and he knows what he likes. He is not afraid to voice his opinion in that room. I’ve seen a really good balance between him, Coach Norvell, and the other coaches. He and I hit it off right away because of our experience as a high school head coach.”
Fertitta wrapped up his availability by praising new Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels and what has impressed him through the first two days of practice.
“He’s got really good command. He has a good presence about him. I’ve been with Coach Tucker in some of his meetings; he’s got a really good presence in the meeting room, and he asks really thoughtful questions…He communicates well with the O-line. They’ve got the cameras on the quarterback’s helmets so we can hear everything.
After Coach Fertitta, S Ashlynd Barker, and OL Andre Otto, who have both been with the Seminoles for more than two years, met with the Tallahassee media to discuss the winter program and the first two practices.
All three media availabilities can be found below.
Director of football strategy and offensive analyst Gabe Fertitta