New FSU Offensive Line Coach Herb Hand Already Building Bond With New Position Group

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Tommy Mire | Last updated Jan 16, 2025 4:00 PM ET

There will be a new face on the Seminole sidelines this upcoming season in former UCF OL coach Herb Hand, who followed UCF head coach Gus Malzahn to Tallahassee, FL to coach the offensive line at Florida State last December.

The Knights averaged 225+ rushing yards per game during his final three years with the program, including 248.1 yards per game in 2024 which ranked them No. 7 in FBS.

So, what makes an offensive line successful or a team in any scenario? Building bonds and relationships that last.

"This is still about the people you do it with," Hand said about building relationships in his introductory press conference. "And you know, you never want to lose sight of that. And I know that that's ultra-important to coach Norvell, and it's ultra-important to me that we have great relationships as well."

On Tuesday, Hand showcased that philosophy by taking the entire offensive line out to dinner as a unit, helping build a cohesive group.

First OLine dinner with the new UNIT at @FSUFootball. #GoNoles pic.twitter.com/SiESRX2jUn
— Herb Hand (@CoachHand) January 15, 2025

So far, the 'Noles have four-star lineman Mario Nash, Jr., three-star lineman Chavez Thompson, and three-star lineman Sean Poret committed to the program. They also added four-star transfer Micah Pettus out of Ole Miss, four-star transfer Luke Petitbon from Wake Forest, three-star transfer Adrian Medley from UCF, and three-star transfer Gunnar Hansen from Vanderbilt from the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Hand was a three-year starter at Hamilton on the offensive line from 1986-89 and has an extensive pedigree at the collegiate level with stops at Clemson, Penn State, Auburn, UCF, Texas, and now Florida State.

The only job more difficult in feeding an entire offensive line than the chef's is the guy who picks up the tab after.