Herb Hand isn’t the first coach to use this line. But it’s a good one.

“Sometimes it feels like the transfer portal is speed dating,” said Hand, Florida State’s new offensive line coach. “You don't have the opportunity or luxury, I guess, maybe of getting to know somebody that you do in high school recruiting, where you identify somebody when they're a freshman or a sophomore in high school and you build a relationship with them over years.

“In the portal era, you know that years have turned into minutes. Hours.”

Hand’s perspective is a familiar one. There are advantages to targeting a transfer offensive lineman, who is ahead from the standpoint of strength and often game experience. But there is also the speed of the courtship, with athlete and coach seeking to determine if the program is the right fit.

A veteran offensive line coach after stops like Tulsa, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Penn State, Auburn, Texas and UCF, Hand now, well, has his hands full rebuilding FSU’s line. The Seminoles had one of the worst lines in Power 4, starting nine different units in 2024, and averaging just 89 rushing yards per game (129th among the 134 FBS schools).

FSU returns just a few linemen with starting experience in Jaylen Early (six starts, evenly split between right guard and right tackle) and T.J. Ferguson (who struggled in seven starts at left guard). Harvard transfer Jacob Rizy (five starts late in 2024), Richie Leonard (four games with three starts) and Andre’ Otto (two starts) also were contributors.

Beyond Early, it’s tough to do more than pencil anyone in as a starter along the line in 2025. So FSU is pursuing a wide range of transfer options.

“When you look at guys that are coming out in the portal, the common theme that you hear is that when the guy goes in the transfer portal, they're looking for basically two things, which is opportunity and development,” Hand said. “And certainly the opportunity piece is a lot easier to evaluate because if you've got a need and you can go out, you can fill your need with a guy that you're watching. … You find out who he is as a person as best you can. You know you're trying to dot your i's or cross your t's on all that stuff.”

FSU certainly has opportunities, and Hand has a track record of developing linemen in his previous stops.

But the danger here is another common refrain across college football: You can’t portal an offensive line. This isn’t an FSU issue but one where few programs around the nation have been successful. FSU has had some success in the Mike Norvell-Alex Atkins years, notably with Dillan Gibbons and D’Mitri Emmanuel, but there have been far more misses than hits.

FSU can’t be expected to portal an offensive line, but relationships can make a difference. The Seminoles have brought in UCF offensive tackle Marcellus Marshall and center Caden Kitler for visits, while guard Adrian Medley is set to visit on Thursday. (Marshall committed to Minnesota on Wednesday.)

And just hours after Hand spoke on Tuesday morning, FSU landed a commitment from Vanderbilt tackle Gunnar Hansen.

Without mentioning specific transfers by name, which no college coach can do at this stage in the recruiting process, Hand acknowledged that his prior relationships (as well as Gus Malzahn’s as UCF’s head coach) are beneficial.

“In the portal era, there's times where you have relationships with guys and choose to go somewhere else or you wind up somewhere else,” Hand said. “Like my situation here, I'm at a new school, but I have relationships with guys that are long standing. And if a guy like that goes in the portal that you feel like you have a great relationship with, that's a plus.

“But there's also the aspect of trying to evaluate guys and making sure that they are right fits, not only from a football perspective but just for a program perspective and a unit perspective. When it comes to the offensive line the right fits – that is a challenge in the time constraints that you have with the portal right now.”

Hand’s responsibilities go beyond the portal evaluations, but it’s critical now given his arrival and the need to build or continue relationships while the portal is open. In the end, he’ll need to weigh all of the development of linemen — from those returning to high school signees. It’s about finding more than the right five, it’s about rebuilding what had been a strength of FSU’s team as recently as 2023 and dictating via the run (where UCF has excelled as a top-10 rush offense the last three years under Malzahn and Hand).

What is Hand looking for in linemen? He emphasized “they have to love football” and hit on a few key aspects.

“Ultimately, what we're looking for is guys who can make an impact at the line of scrimmage, that can move people, that can dent the defense,” Hand said. “Guys who are also athletic enough to play in space, because there's so much spatial blocking that takes place, whether it's in pass protection or whether it’s in some of our screens, reverses, our zone schemes where we have to climb up and block second- and third-level defenders.”

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