How it started, how it's going: FSU offensive line finally makes strides

The year before Norvell arrived, Florida State's offense ranked 126th out of 130 FBS teams for sacks allowed with 48 in 13 games. The Seminoles ranked 127th in tackles for loss allowed.

While some of those problems were due to sub-par quarterback play, the biggest issue was a completely ineffective offensive line. And to make matters worse, the best lineman of the group -- grad transfer Ryan Roberts -- had just wrapped up his eligibility.

As Norvell and his first-year coaching staff assessed the situation, they didn't wait long before taking the offensive line in a completely new direction.

One of the first moves was bringing in grad transfer Devontay Love-Taylor from FIU. Norvell also did a good job of retaining or landing four OL commitments for the 2020 signing class.

At the same time, there were a slew of departures. Former starting tackle Jauan Williams and former starting guard Mike Arnold both entered the transfer portal, as did junior college transfer Jay Williams. Redshirt sophomore Christian Meadows left the roster after being medically disqualified, and the Seminoles saw another two veterans graduate following the 2019 season -- tackle Abdul Bello and guard Cole Minshew.

When it was all said and done, FSU essentially returned two primary starters from 2019 -- guard Dontae Lucas and guard/center Baveon Johnson -- and several part-time starters, including guard/tackle Brady Scott and center Andrew Boselli. The Seminoles also brought back a pair of promising redshirt freshmen who started a handful of games in 2019, tackle Darius Washington and center/guard Maurice Smith.