FSU football reportedly finds new general manager in familiar face

The Florida State Seminoles have been embroiled in a search for a new general manager since the beginning of the offseason.

In the four weeks that have passed since the Seminoles' regular-season finale loss to Florida, head coach Mike Norvell has made multiple changes to his coaching staff.

Former GM Darrick Yray departed for UCLA earlier in December. Less than a week before the NCAA Transfer Portal opens, Florida State has found a replacement.

Florida State Hiring Familiar Face In General Manager Role

According to multiple reports, the Seminoles will be bringing in Duke general manager John Garrett to take over the same role in Tallahassee. The news was first reported by Warchant. Garrett spent the last two seasons with the Blue Devils, overseeing two successful campaigns for the program.

In 2024, Duke finished 9-4 and defeated Florida State for the first time in school history. This fall, the Blue Devils compiled an 8-5 record, taking down Virginia in the conference championship game to secure their first ACC title. Garrett was on staff when the program acquired former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah last offseason.

Garrett previously worked for the Seminoles from 2022-23 as director of scouting on the offensive side of the ball. During those two seasons, Florida State compiled a 23-4 overall record, won the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl, and started the 2023 campaign 13-0, winning the ACC Championship.

The 60-year-old worked as the head coach at Lafayette for five seasons from 2017-21, compiling a 15-33 record. He coached three All-Americans, 58 all-conference performers, and 13 academic all-conference selections. Garrett also held jobs as the offensive coordinator at Oregon State (2014) and Richmond (2016), and the wide receivers coach at Virginia (2004-07) at the college level. He briefly worked for Florida in 2015.

Garrett has spent 18 years coaching in the NFL. He's held a variety of different positions, including wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals (1996) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2013), the quarterbacks coach for the Arizona Cardinals (1999-2000), and tight ends coach for the Dallas Cowboys (2007-12).

He worked as an offensive assistant for the Bengals on two separate occasions (1997-98, 2001) and began his career in personnel for the Buccaneers (1992-94).

His family is synonymous with football as Garrett's brother, Jason, was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 2010-19. Their father, Jim, spent 38 years in the league as head coach, assistant coach, and scout for the New York Giants, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns.

Garrett spent his college playing career at Columbia and Princeton. He had brief stints at the professional level with the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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