FSU football OC Gus Malzahn retires from coaching, Tim Harris promoted
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Florida State football offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is retiring after 35 years as a coach, the school announced on Feb. 2.
Tim Harris Jr., who was the program’s wide receivers coach, will serve as the Seminoles new offensive coordinator.
In a press release sent out by FSU, Malzahn said he is ready to “focus on the next chapter of his life,” and spend more time with family.
“After 35 years, it’s time for me to step away from coaching,” Malzahn said. “I am excited to spend more time with my family and focus on the next chapter of my life. I want to thank Coach Norvell for giving me the opportunity to coach at such a prestigious program. I will continue to follow Florida State, and I believe great things are ahead for the program under Coach Norvell’s leadership and for the offense under Tim Harris.”
The news comes after the Seminoles reconstructed their roster in the transfer portal, including bringing in quarterback Ashton Daniels from Auburn. He seemed like a natural fit for the Malzahn scheme, but Harris will now run the offense in a similar style to Malzahn’s.
Who is Tim Harris? FSU offensive coordinator has experience under Malzahn
This isn’t Harris’s first role as an offensive coordinator, though. He was the offensive coordinator at Florida International and UCF, though Malzahn primarily called plays while the duo was in Orlando and Harris was co-offensive coordinator.
In 2024, Harris took over playcalling duties as the full time offensive coordinator for the Knights. UCF had a top-20 offense in the nation that year, including the seventh-best rushing offense.
FSU head coach Mike Norvell thanked Malzahn for his lone season in Tallahassee and praised Harris for his “understanding of the offensive scheme.”
“I want to thank Coach Malzahn for his effort and dedication to our program over the last 14 months,” Norvell said. “He did a wonderful job coordinating our offense and calling plays in 2025, and he has set a strong foundation for us to continue building on in 2026 behind the coordination of Tim Harris and the multiple other assistant coaches who are returning. Coach Harris has a complete understanding of the offensive scheme, and his ability to effectively share that knowledge with his players will continue to be a benefit for our offense.”
Under Malzahn, FSU led the ACC in total offense and rushing offense in 2025, the second time in the last four seasons the Seminoles topped the conference in both categories. FSU’s 472.1 yards per game ranked sixth in the nation, and its 218.7 rushing yards per game ranked 11th nationally. It was the program’s highest rushing average for a season since 1995.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gus Malzahn retires; Tim Harris new FSU football offensive coordinator
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos