Just when Mike Norvell thought he could bounce back from a disappointing 5-7 season, a major staff shakeup crushed his comeback hopes. The mastermind behind Florida State’s 13-win season in 2023 has left the team after two years of relentless struggles and constant grind. Now he’s packing up for a fresh start at UCLA.

“Florida State GM Darrick Yray has now accepted the general manager job at UCLA, sources tell me, @chris_hummer, @BSonnone, and @ZBlostein247,” CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz confirmed on X.

Yray played a key role in assembling the 2023 FSU team that narrowly missed the College Football Playoffs. That same team produced 25 players with All-ACC honors and 10 draft picks. But then he was also part of the struggling 2024 and 2025 seasons, which compiled a 7-17 record. During his time at FSU, he helped them land major transfers such as Jared Verse, Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson, Trey Benson, Jaheim Bell, and Fentrell Cypress.

But with the last two years’ struggles, transfer misses, and no top 10 high school recruiting classes, the pressure piled up on Yray’s role in personal decisions. Now, in search of consistency, Yray is heading back to his home state of California. He is a Linden native and Fresno State graduate and even started his career at Fresno State. Before Florida State, Yray spent seven years at Oregon State and became director of player personnel.

He brought in DJ Uiagalelei to Tallahassee from Oregon State, which turned into Yray’s worst career decision. With that, even recruiting struggled big time under him, even though it wasn’t all on him.  Even this year, Florida State’s recruiting momentum took a major hit as its four-star defensive back Jay Timmons flipped his commitment to Ohio State.

What makes things worse is that Timmons is the son of former Gamecocks linebacker Lawrence Timmons. This adds to the notion that Norvell struggles to land elite high school talent and loses them to top programs.  But with UCLA’s new head coach, Bob Chesney, that won’t be the case. Darrick Yray might finally get the momentum he’s been waiting for for two years.

For now, Mike Norvell team is going through “structural changes” to the front office of their football program, and Yray’s move means their staff search took another hit. They have already fired defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr., got cornerbacks coach Brandon Harris, and also had to watch running backs coach David Johnson move to Arkansas.

Amid the chaos, Mike Norvell’s team filled the edge coach spot.

Mike Norvell’s team makes a major staff addition

After facing a massive firing scare, Mike Norvell isn’t taking any risks. That’s exactly why he got Nick Williams as their new edge coach and pass rush specialist, who will bring in a wealth of experience to their defense.

Williams’ resume stretches across the ACC, SEC, and Pac-12. He coached Colorado’s defensive line back in 2023 and helped them to build a top 30 recruiting class with their win over TCU and Nebraska. Then at Texas A&M, he helped the Aggies to land the No. 1 recruiting class of 2022, which was one of the highest-rated classes.

Before that, he spent three seasons at Georgia, helping them with developing NFL talents and first-round locks Luke Trevon Walker, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Devonte Wyatt. With all that success, he coached edge rushers and contributed to Syracuse’s 10-3 season. Now, you know why Mike Norvell’s team got him into the program. Even Williams is nothing but excited to join Mike Norvell’s team.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the Florida State family,” Nick Williams said. “I grew up watching Peter Warrick, Warrick Dunn, Charlie Ward, and the aggressive, dominant defenses at FSU. As a South Georgia kid, you grow up wanting to be a Florida State Seminole. I remember going to Doak Campbell Stadium with my dad and how electrifying that experience was.

Before starting his coaching career, Williams played two seasons at Georgia and finished at North Alabama as a graduate assistant. Now, let’s wait and see if he is able to transition all that success at Florida State and give them a championship berth next season or not.