FSU wide receiver Lawayne McCoy and defensive tackle Kevin Wynn out for Alabama game

Florida State released its first depth chart of the season on Monday, providing a look at the starting lineup the Seminoles will be rolling out on Saturday, August 30 vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Two players missing from the two-deep are WR Lawayne McCoy and DT Kevin Wynn, who will miss the game due to injuries that head coach Mike Norvell said should only keep them out temporarily, emphasizing that “they’re expecting a relatively quick return.”

McCoy, a sophomore, appeared in ten games for Florida

State last season while Wynn, a blue-chip signee, is expected to become part of the defensive line rotation after putting together a strong camp.

FSU vs. Alabama: Game Notes

Florida State will host No. 8 Alabama in the 2025 season opener on Saturday at 3:30 PM. The game will air on ABC.
Florida State is 4-2 all-time in season openers against current SEC teams, including a 45-24 win over LSU to begin the 2023 season. Over the past 10 seasons, Florida State’s eight regular-season non-conference wins against the SEC are 2nd in the nation.
Head coach Mike Norvell has five wins against the SEC since 2016, the 2nd-most non-conference wins against the conference in that span.
Florida State welcomes 49 newcomers for the 2025 season – 25 true freshmen and 24 transfers.
FSU’s 22 Division I transfers have accounted for 595 appearances and 293 starts, completed 56.0 percent of passes with 6,448 passing yards and 53 touchdowns, run for 3,228 yards with 36 rushing touchdowns, caught 303 passes for 3,939 yards and 21 receiving touchdowns, and notched 638 tackles, 75.5 tackles for loss, 39.0 sacks, 23 pass breakups, eight interceptions, nine forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Florida State hired six new assistant coaches this offseason, including offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and defensive coordinator Tony White. New position coaches are OL coach Herb Hand, passing game coordinator and WR coach Tim Harris Jr., DL coach Terrance Knighton and safeties coach Evan Cooper.
Malzahn (head coach) and Hand (OL) were both at UCF from 2021-24 and produced a top-10 rushing offense and top-20 total offense each of their last three years together. UCF had the nation’s 3rd-highest cumulative rushing total from 2021-24 behind only Air Force and Army.
Malzahn’s offenses are averaging 447.7 yards per game in his 19 seasons as an offensive coordinator or head coach.
White has produced a top-25 defense each of the last four seasons at two different programs (Syracuse and Nebraska). In the last two seasons (24 games), his defense held opponents to 20 points or fewer 15 times.
His 2024 defense was the first in the country since 2021 to not allow a rushing touchdown at home.
At Tulsa in 2007 – the first year Mike Norvell, Malzahn and Hand were on the same coaching staff – they produced the only season in NCAA history with a 5,000-yard passer, three 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard rusher.
Norvell has coached 114 all-conference players and 14 All-Americans, and he ranks 4th among active head coaches with four conference championship game appearances.
Transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who spent his freshman season at UCF under Malzahn, comes to Florida State after accounting for 4,921 yards of total offense in 21 games played during the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Boston College. He is one of five different players in the ACC this century to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season (2,248 & 1,113 in 2023).