With the countdown to the 2025 Florida State season in full swing, we’re previewing the Seminoles’ schedule game-by-game. First up, the Seminoles’ season opener vs. Alabama.
It was seven years ago that Florida State and the Alabama Crimson Tide met in Atlanta — the former looking to prolong its dominant run, the latter looking to get back to one.
Spoiler alert: the first happened, the second did not.
The 2017 matchup is seen by many as the one that got away, with a no-call on pass interference preventing a touchdown and lead change for Florida State with 10 seconds left before halftime. On the next play, Ricky Aguayo’s potential game-tying field goal was blocked and the Seminoles wouldn’t come close to scoring again. Alabama blocked a punt, recovered an FSU fumble on the ensuing kickoff and essentially called game at the end of the third. And then, with the game out of reach, quarterback Deondre Francois was lost for the season after rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee.
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While it would be disingenuous to suggest that the outcome of the game (a 24-7 Florida State loss) is what led to the downfall of one of the more successful programs of the early 2010s, it is fair to say that it was the beginning — the first in a series of major setbacks that would compound to create the hole the Seminoles have been able to escape for just two 10-plus win seasons since (2022 and 2023).
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Enter 2025, where both programs are looking for an early-season boost to erase the memories of a down year which for Alabama, meant a historic upset loss to Vanderbilt and an inability to sneak its way into the playoffs at the expense of a more deserving team for the second straight season.
The Seminoles enter into the matchup hoping to change the narrative around the program and, more broadly, the one around Mike Norvell’s tenure. While the singular result of the game, like 2017, won’t necessarily impact the full trajectory of either, it might very well be an indicator of just where things might end up.
Florida State vs. Alabama
Date: Saturday, Aug. 30, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
Location: Tallahassee, Florida
Previous matchup: 24-7, Alabama (Atlanta)
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All-time series: 3-1-1, Alabama leads
Alabama: 2025 Team Preview
2024 record: 9-4 (5-3 SEC), lost to Michigan in Reliaquest Bowl
Two things to know:
After the offense sputtered in several games last season, Alabama brought in Ryan Grubb as its new offensive coordinator. Grubb has worked under Kalen DeBoer in some capacity for 12 of the last 16 years — most recently, as his offensive coordinator with the Washington Huskies.
Alabama is in its second year of running a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, a switch from the 3-4 days under Nick Saban, which aims to cut down spread offenses, eliminate overthinking and emphasize aggressiveness. A great breakdown via the Roll Tide Bama message boards:
The 4-2-5 Swarm defense Kane Wommack runs is an evolution from the 4-2-5 version that his dad Dave Wommack ran (and helped design) during his long coaching career (he retired after the 2016 season as the Ole Miss defensive coordinator under Hugh Freeze). If you want to get real technical, you could call it a 3-3-5 defense, but it’s pointless getting lost in the numbers of it either way. A basic note on this defense which will aid in understanding other parts of it, is the defensive alignment isn’t based on formation (where the TE lines up, for example), it’s based on the field and the boundary (sideline). One advantage of that is, if a player goes into motion and flips the “strong” side, the defense doesn’t have to make as many adjustments, since the strong side isn’t determined by alignment (though there will be some occasions when this defense will revert to the more traditional way and base it off the offensive formation such as the TE or WR alignment).
By design, this defense is less about containment and more about trying to create havoc in the offensive backfield. Sacks are great, but Saban used to preach, affecting the QB is just as important… This defense sets out to affect things behind the LOS, which often leads to positive things by other means.
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It will have issues and occasional breakdowns. The aggressive nature alone will lend itself to the propensity to give up big plays at times. Teams with good QB play will get hot some games and move the chains at a frustrating pace.
Three key players
Quarterback Ty Simpson: The presumed front-runner for the starting quarterback spot, Simpson is a former five-star recruit who has patiently waited for his turn under center — making him a unicorn in the modern age of college football. He’s thrown just 39 passes over three seasons with Alabama, arguably his most notable appearance coming as he relieved a struggling Tyler Buchner (starting in place of the benched Jalen Milroe) vs. USF in 2023, securing the win with a late touchdown run to make it 17-3.
Wide receiver Ryan Williams: Perpetrator of one of the more athletic plays seen in recent memory, Williams established himself as an offensive threat early for Alabama — despite being just 17 years old, as you might remember hearing often last season. His true freshman season saw him put together a 865-yard, 48-catch and eight-touchdown campaign, worthy enough to earn first-team All-SEC honors and establish him as one of the country’s most hyped receivers entering 2025.
EDGE LT Overton: A projected round two selection, Overton opted to return to Alabama for his senior season. In 2024, he racked up 42 tackles, two sacks, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. A versatile athlete, he lines up in the Bandit (hybrid lineman/edge rusher) role.
Florida State vs. Alabama: Game preview, predictions
Best Case
Narratives (outside of those levied by the most optimistic of FSU fans and most spiteful of Alabama haters) are shattered as Florida State pulls off just its second-ever win vs. Alabama. Tommy Castellanos, comfortable in the offensive attack that welcomed him into the collegiate ranks, shines in his debut as new-look schemes on each side of the ball work their magic. The reason Ty Simpson failed to make a single start in three seasons with the Crimson Tide becomes obvious as multiple interceptions force DeBoer to turn to true freshman Keelon Russell.
Realistic Case
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Florida State comes out swinging, utilizing enough scouting and well-timed trickery to make things interesting early and keep them that way well into the third quarter. In the end, though, the game plays out similarly to FSU’s 2022 opener vs. Notre Dame where the Seminoles lack the final oomph to pull off the upset. The moral victory satiates the desire for competent football and, unlike 2022, Florida State carries that momentum into the following week’s matchup vs. an FCS program.
Worst Case
Pain upon pain upon pain. The 2024 season isn’t in the rearview, it is still alive and well, and the first example of it is a blowout at the hands of the Crimson Tide in the first game inside a newly-renovated Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles get a paltry, pity field goal towards the end of the game to prevent a blowout and the tone of the season gets set in a terrible way.
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Most likely outcome vs. Alabama?
2025 FSU football schedule
Saturday, Aug. 30: Alabama Crimson Tide (Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – For those incarcerated in Alabama, there is a path to employment through the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Re-Entry Program.
The Bureau looks at where someone may live after serving their sentence and starts connecting them with potential employers, while also conducting drug screenings to help ensure employers and communities are getting a safe employee.
“We make sure as they’re moving through our re-entry programs that they’re re-assessed for mental health stability for substance abuse challenges,” said Rebecca Bensema, Assistant Director of Re-entry and Rehabilitation.
Bensema said the agency sits down with inmates to gauge their interests and review their work history to help match them with opportunities.
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Bureau Director Cam Ward explained that there are areas where an individual would be unable to work because of their conviction.
“For example, if I committed check fraud, I’m not going to be able to get a job at the bank. Sex offense… you’re not going to be eligible to work anywhere near kids or sensitive facilities,” Ward said.
Ward said offering job possibilities to people leaving incarceration is key to reducing recidivism and repeat offenses.
“Give the employer all the information and if they want to hire somebody based on their criminal history, let the employer decide, don’t let the government be the one who dictates it,” he said.
The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles says it currently has positions open that people with a criminal background can apply for.
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Alabama football is hosting an impressive group of 2027 recruits throughout this weekend. This is the first of several weekends the Tide will host top recruits for official visits.
So, will Alabama add a commit this weekend? This is very much possible, and there are a few prospects Touchdown Alabama has our eyes on.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
OKLAHOMA CITY–– UCLA’s home run power made headlines all season, but it was Alabama’s super sluggers who stepped up in the biggest moments on the biggest stage during the Crimson Tide’s opening game of the Women’s College World Series.
No. 1 Alabama was trailing by two runs heading into the fifth inning of Thursday’s game before Alexis Pupillo tied it up with a two-run shot in the bottom of the frame.
The Tide had struggled with runners in scoring position all game, but when Alabama’s home run leader Brooke Wells stepped to the plate with two on in the sixth inning, she made sure that wasn’t going to happen again. In her first ever game at the WCWS, Wells hit one over the right field wall to give Alabama a three-run lead.
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That score would hold as No. 1 Alabama beat No. 8 UCLA 6-3 to move into the winners’ bracket at the WCWS.
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The moment meant a lot for Wells after she went without a hit during the super regional round against LSU. The team rallied around her, and head coach Patrick Murphy put a card in her locker at the beginning of the week.
“It was great to do it for these girls,” Wells said after the game. “These girls are so great. They had my back all last weekend, you know, how he said. It wasn’t the best weekend for me, but they never lost trust in me, they never lost faith in me. Murph gave me a card, the girls picked me up all weekend. I walked in here feeling as confident as ever. Didn’t really cross my mind anything that happened last weekend.”
This is the first trip to the World Series for both Wells and Pupillo as transfers into Alabama. Pupillo is in her final season and has now hit a home run in three straight postseason games and is up to 20 on the season.
“This is the moment that I’ve been waiting for since I was like eight years old,” Pupillo said. “I walked through the gates today, I kind of started tearing up for a second because it just felt surreal. I just remember watching Montana Fouts pitch in the World Series when she threw the perfect game. That moment of me when I was eight years old watching it on the TV, man, I really want to do that.”
Alabama junior ace Jocelyn Briski shut down the UCLA batting order the first time through, but the Bruins bats wouldn’t stay down for long. UCLA rallied for three runs on four hits, including two home runs, in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead.
She did not allow another run to the potent UCLA offense over the next four innings. Briski finished with nine strikeouts against a team that does not strike out much.
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“You could see they hit two home runs, we hit two home runs, but the ability to come up with those timely hits with runners on obviously makes a difference,” UCLA coach Kelly Inoyue-Perez said after the game.
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Coming into the matchup, Alabama knew UCLA would score. It just wanted to limit the damage, and Briski was able to do that.
Jena Young set the tone for the offense at the top of the lineup, reaching base four times with three hits. She scored in the first inning on an RBI-single from Alabama’s senior captain Marlie Giles, Pupillo’s home run and on the Wells’ home run in the sixth inning.
Alabama (55-7) will face the winner of Thursday night’s game between No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Arkansas on Saturday. Winning the first game sets the tone for the rest of the series and makes the path a lot smoother. Around 90 percent of previous college softball national champions win their opening game at the WCWS.
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