Who is Herb Hand? Looking at FSU's new offensive line coach

The Florida State offensive staff is filling up, and Herb Hand, a longtime assistant of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, will take control of the offensive line, according to CBS Sports and 247Sports on Monday.

Hand will join Malzahn’s offensive staff as they look to help improve the Seminoles' offensive line and the attack overall. FSU finished second to last in the FBS in total offense, with only 270.2 yards per game.

Florida State coach Mike Norvell fired offensive coordinator Alex Atkins following a 52-3 loss to Notre Dame in early November. Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller was also let go that same day. At that point, the Seminoles' record was at 1-9.

Looking for a quick rebound after a disastrous 2-10 season in which the Seminoles had a single win versus an FBS school, the university hired former UCF and Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn to run the offense.

Among Malzahn’s main assistants is Herb Hand, who has followed the new OC on three different stops.

Who is Herb Hand, the new Florida State offensive line coach?

Herb Hand is an experienced offensive coach who has been with some of the top football programs in the country during his 35-year career. He has coached the offensive line at five different programs in the last 18 years: Texas, Vanderbilt, Penn State, Auburn and Central Florida.

Perhaps, Hand is better known for being the Nittany Lions' running game coordinator for two of Saquon Barkley’s three productive years in Happy Valley, including the running back’s first year in which he established a record for rushing yards by a freshman.

In 2017, his offensive line at Auburn was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in the country.

A longtime connection of three coaches

This will not be the first time Mike Norvell, Gus Malzahn and Herb Hand will work in the same coaching staff. From 2007 to 2009, they all worked at Tulsa. Back then, Malzahn was a co-offensive coordinator, while Hand was the offensive line coach.

Norvell had joined the staff as a graduate assistant and would eventually become the wide receivers coach.

While the trio split up in 2009, Herb Hand and Gus Malzahn joined forces once again in 2016, when Hand joined the Auburn staff, headed by his longtime friend, as offensive line coach, where he would stay for the next two years.

After leaving Auburn, the pair were once again reunited four years ago at Central Florida. During their stint with the Knights, they oversaw a productive rushing attack. This season, the team finished seventh in the FBS with 248.1 yards per game on the ground.

Now, all three coaches are back together in Tallahassee, but they are facing a tall order, as the Seminoles are looking to bounce back from the program's worst season in 50 years.