Two New Names To Know On FSU Football's Staff Entering Spring
Continuity on Florida State's coaching staff is a major factor in the team's climb back to the top of college football. Mike Norvell opened the week by noting that the Seminoles are one of five FBS programs across the country that are returning their head coach and all ten on-field assistants.
It's a massive advantage along with the array of staffers in the building who fill a variety of roles. With that being said, there have been some departures this offseason as Director of Scouting (offense) John Garrett, Senior Defensive Analyst Shane Burnham, and Graduate Assistant (offense) Cooper Williams all moved on.
Outside of Garrett, who landed at Duke, Williams, who landed at Missouri, and Burnham, Student Assistant Coach (offense) Nick O'Leary was not listed as part of the Seminoles' staff when the updated spring media guide was released on Monday. A program spokesperson confirmed to NoleGameday that O'Leary is no longer working at Florida State. The former star tight end, 2013 National Champion, and NFL Draft pick assisted tight ends coach Chris Thomsen last year.
The Seminoles will be introducing a couple of new faces as the spring begins to fill some of the gaps. Former FSU softball standout Mack Leonard and former Texas A&M analyst Ben Miles are two of the names to get to know over the next couple of weeks.
Leonard joins the football team as Coordinator of Player Development and Football Operations following a productive career in the circle. She appeared in 125 games and hit .316 with 14 home runs, 90 RBI, and 28 doubles while posting a 3.13 earned-run average over 71.2 innings pitching in two years at Florida State. Leonard was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team in both years and earned first-team all-conference honors in 2022. She was part of a squad that made the WCWS Championship Series under the lead of head coach Lonni Alameda last season.
The Illinois native worked as the Assistant Director of Operations for Florida State's women's basketball team during the 2023-24 campaign. Her responsibilities included coordinating travel, special events, community service activities, and working with Seminole Boosters on events and relationships with the women’s basketball program. Leonard earned her bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary social science from FSU in 2022 and will complete her master’s in sport management from FSU in May of 2024.
Miles arrives in Tallahassee as a Graduate Assistant (Offense) and will work with Florida State's offense line after beginning his coaching career at Texas A&M under former FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher. He served as a graduate assistant in 2022 and an analyst in 2023 for the Aggies. Miles worked on practice plans, game plans, and analyzing film in College State.
The son of former legendary head coach Les Miles, he started his playing career at Nebraska in 2017 and spent one season at Texas A&M before transferring to Kansas to play under his father. Miles was an honorable mention All-Big 12 fullback in 2019 and a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2020. He appeared in 28 games, with nine starts, for the Jayhawks and rushed three times for one yard while catching four passes for ten yards.
Miles replaces Williams and joins offensive line coach Alex Atkins and senior offensive analyst Gabe Fertitta to work with the front five.
*Portions of article per bios on Seminoles.com
READ MORE: FSU Football's Mike Norvell Talks Spring Camp, Looks Ahead to 2024 Season
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