Florida State is in talks with Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White to fill coach Mike Norvell’s vacant DC role, a person involved in the discussions told The Athletic on Monday.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a deal was not yet done, but said Florida State was “close” to landing White, who has been part of Nebraska coach Matt Rhule’s staff for the past two years.
White was defensive coordinator at Syracuse for three years before joining Nebraska.
Florida State is in the midst of a total staff overhaul. On Saturday, the Seminoles hired former UCF coach Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator.
White, 45, directed a defense that ranked No. 11 nationally last year in yards allowed per game during his first season at Nebraska and sits at 19th this season through 12 games.
After the 2023 season, White entered into discussions about head-coaching vacancies with his alma mater, UCLA, and with San Diego State, where he coached for nine years. White was also mentioned as a candidate at Syracuse, where he worked under Dino Babers.
At the time, Rhule endorsed White publicly as a strong candidate to lead a program.
White turned down options, he said, choosing to stay in Lincoln. He received a two-year contract to pay him $1.6 million. It made him the highest-paid assistant coach in Nebraska history.
“I don’t want to lose Tony White at all,” Rhule said in February of 2024 after White made his decision. “I love Tony. I want him to go coach here forever, but there will come a time when he is going to have an opportunity to be a head coach and he deserves that.”
This year, White’s attacking, 3-3-5 defense underwent some structural adjustments after Nebraska added John Butler from the Buffalo Bills as secondary coach in July. Butler, 51, would be considered a top candidate to take over the defense at Nebraska in the absence of White.
Required reading
- Why Nebraska DC Tony White wants to go ‘even harder’ after deciding to return to Lincoln
- UCF coach Gus Malzahn stepping down to take job as Florida State’s offensive coordinator
(Photo: Steven Branscombe / Getty Images)
