Director of Football Strategy Gabe Fertitta Reveals New Role With FSU Football

The Florida State Seminoles made a major push to bolster their operations staff this offseason, introducing numerous new roles ahead of the 2026 season. They added Director of Football and Player Acquisition Taylor Edwards, Director of College Scouting Joe Manion, and Director of High School Scouting Mitch Ciombor. Among the new acquisitions was Director of Football Strategy/Offensive Analyst Gabe Fertitta, who spent the previous year as offensive coordinator at Nicholls State.

While some of the titles seem self-explanatory, Fertitta's job description isn't clearly defined in name. Fertitta met with the media on Wednesday, providing some clarity as to which hats he will be wearing this upcoming season.

Gabe Fertitta Defines Role in the Offseason

"Day-to-day, I go to a different meeting on offense every day. I sit in that meeting and just help the coach," Fertitta said. "Sometimes a question will come up like 'Hey, what's the O-line call gonna be on this?' when I'm in the receiver meeting or the QB meeting or vice versa, so then I can try to help bridge those gaps a little bit for the coaches in the meetings and then usually whatever meeting I stay in that day, I kinda hang with that position group for the day and try to reinforce what that coach was saying in his meeting."

Defining his role as a "unique thing," Fertitta also observes practices and gives his input on what is working and what isn't. He says that head coach Mike Norvell leans heavily on all of his staff, valuing their experience, and that he brings his observations from practice to the meeting room.

"It's a pretty good back and forth," Fertitta continued. "There are times when he [Norvell] asks me, 'Hey, we need to be better at this,' or 'What is something that we can do that you've done in the past? ' It's more my role to present the things, put them on the table and give everybody the option to things that I've seen, that I know, that I think could be valuable, and whatever they decide to do ultimately with that is their role."

Bridging the Gap Across the Offensive Staff

Studying offenses and defenses comes with the title, and Fertitta works closely with Norvell and new offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr.; helping the two out at practice is at the top of his priority list. His background as a playcaller also allows him to contribute ideas during weekly game planning, offering another perspective as the staff prepares for opponents.

"Along with helping coach Norvell in any way that I can, helping coach Harris is at the top of my job responsibilities as well, and anything that I can do for him," Fertitta said. "If I can help him, coach a drill so he can go to a different part of the practice to look at things that maybe he normally didn't get to look at when he was a position coach."

Helping coaches refine their approach has become increasingly valuable as programs expand their personnel departments and analytics-driven strategy roles. Roles like Fertitta’s highlight how modern college football staffs continue to evolve beyond traditional coaching positions.

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