(BCSNN) -- Several reports this week indicate that Florida State is bringing in a familiar — and polarizing — name, with former Texas, Houston and FAU head coach Tom Herman expected to join the Seminoles’ football staff. Herman did not coach during the 2025–26 season after being fired from FAU with two games left in the 2024 campaign.

Herman’s track record is as complicated as it is accomplished. He helped Ohio State win a national championship in 2014 as offensive coordinator and led Texas to a Sugar Bowl victory in 2018. But his most recent stint at FAU produced a 6–16 record across nearly two seasons, adding another uneven chapter to his résumé.

There is also off‑field baggage attached to Herman, including a frosty handshake with then‑USF (now Auburn) head coach Alex Golesh two years ago and lingering, distasteful stories from his time at Ohio State.

For Florida State, the timing and optics of the hire are impossible to ignore. After the abrupt retirement of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn in February, head coach Mike Norvell clearly felt he needed reinforcements on the offensive side of the ball. And with fall camp less than a month away, Herman arrives as a late — but telling — addition.

Given the program’s recent turbulence, the move carries an unmistakable tone: about time Florida State made a decisive staffing change after the offseason’s scandals and instability.

Herman is expected to bring a fresh perspective and help lighten Norvell’s offensive workload as the Seminoles attempt to stabilize and reset heading into the 2026 season.