Micahi Danzy was barely on the field to get a practical understanding of Gus Malzahn’s offense or his new position this spring for Florida State.
He wasn’t hurt, mind you. He was busy becoming an ACC-champion sprinter as a freshman, running a 44.38 400-meter dash that was the fastest 400 in ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championship history.
That was the expectation for Danzy when the Florida High product decided to stay home and enroll at FSU. He was going to play football and run track.
But it was fair
to wonder because of that how his football career would be able to keep up. With Olympic aspirations on the track, would he be able to make an impact on the football field if pretty much all he was able to do during football’s spring camp was position meetings and film study?
It hasn’t taken long this season for Danzy to answer that question with a resounding yes. The converted running back has brought that track speed to the gridiron this season, scoring an end-around touchdown in each of the Seminoles’ first two games this season.
“We have a lot of belief in him,” FSU head coach Mike Norvell said. “I think there are kind of two parts of [the move to receiver]. We never would’ve moved him if we didn’t believe in what it could be. He’s somebody that has great ball skills, got great speed. I think you see that he’s strong with the ball in his hands and he can change direction and be able to be a dynamic threat.
“ … I do think he has a great future in front of him. We’re going to continue to push him to grow in that confidence. You take out spring practice, for him he had some but it was limited. He’s making huge strides throughout this early part of the season.”
Danzy’s first touch of the 2025 season was an electric 32-yard end around which saw him get the ball from Tommy Castellanos with a head of steam, turn the corner and speed into the end zone, breaking a diving tackle attempt from an Alabama defender to score his first career touchdown. That score gave the Seminoles their first lead of the game as well as the lead for good against the Crimson Tide.
“I showed my running-back self in that moment, trusting my speed and using my thighs for power,” Danzy said, “It just shows how strong I am in that moment.”
To Danzy, he knows what to expect on the track, especially with how well he has acclimated to the collegiate level. Football, though, was less of a sure thing entering the 2025 season.
“Track is almost like I expect, I’m confident I can run that 44. With football, you never know what to expect,” Danzy said. “When I broke the tackle, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m about to score.‘ It was crazy, a lot of things running through my mind.”
The following week against East Texas A&M, Danzy scored on the very same play, this time a 53-yard end around which saw him reach the end zone untouched.
With 109 rushing yards, Danzy is actually FSU’s leading rusher through two games. He’s done that on just four carries, adding two catches for 14 yards while tallying two of FSU’s three 30-plus-yard runs.
It didn’t take Malzahn long for him to see the value of Danzy’s speed in his offense. But from how the FSU offensive coordinator talks about him, he’s just as impressed with how Danzy has looked as a blocker.
Caziah Holmes’ 4-yard touchdown run vs. Alabama to put FSU up 24-7 was to Danzy’s side of the field. He set the edge with a physical block to allow Holmes to reach the corner.
“I was real proud of him. He played pretty good without the ball, too. He did some good things,” Malzahn said after the Bama game. “ … I think you could see his role grow as the season goes.”
