Gavin Sawchuk was recruited by Florida State’s coaches out of high school, played the Seminoles in a bowl game in 2022 and faced off against UCF in 2023. When he went in the transfer portal this spring after a third season at Oklahoma, Sawchuk was quite familiar with coach Mike Norvell and running backs coach David Johnson as well as offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
“I just felt like Florida State was the best place for me to be able to compete at a high level,” Sawchuk said on Thursday afternoon. “And then I just love the coaching staff, and I've had that relationship since high school. They recruited me out of high school, so getting back in contact with them, and just hearing the ways they wanted me here, the excitement for that, it was great.
"Continuing to build that relationship and have that opportunity, it was really great.”
Sawchuk picked Oklahoma over FSU and other schools in his first recruitment, and his sophomore season was quite impressive — 744 yards on 120 carries (6.2 average) with nine touchdowns. While he’s battled injuries, Sawchuk has shown more than just glimpses as he had five straight 100-yard rushing games to finish out 2023.
He he had 15 rushes for 100 yards and a touchdown in a 35-32 loss in the Cheez-It-Bowl to FSU in 2022. And he also had 10 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown in a 31-29 win over UCF in 2023.
FSU had plenty of options in the running back room coming out of the spring. But Norvell and Malzahn had been on the opposite sidelines in two very close games and seen firsthand what Sawchuk could do with the football. They opted to bring Sawchuk in and sell him on what he could do in the offense.
“Took a visit here, met with Coach Malzahn,” Sawchuk said. “And just went through the offense, learned about some of the schemes he likes to run, different things he likes to do to get athletes the ball in their hands and in space and to make plays and make opportunities.
“I loved it, watching it, a lot of stuff that I was kind of familiar with, I've seen before. I played against him when I was at Oklahoma, we played UCF, and it was dangerous offense. You see what he was able to do with the guys that he had. Just excited for what we're putting in and we're getting ready to do.”
Sawchuk said he remembers the warchant well, saying “it was really cool.” Hearing it often in the Orlando bowl game, “It was addicting, trying hard not to do it,” Sawchuk said. “I'm free to do it now.”
Coaches and fans would love to see him do that in the end zone in 2025. But it’s plausible Sawchuk is less of a workhorse back and instead part of a committee approach. It remains to be seen how Norvell and Malzahn will share the workload, but FSU has options with Sawchuk, Roydell Williams, Kam Davis, Ousmane Kromah, Jaylin Lucas, Caziah Holmes and Sam Singleton.
The argument for Sawchuk to get playing time, but also to manage his reps to keep him rested, is to maximize more than just his speed and 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame. It’s also to realize a strength: Pass blocking.
“I'm really confident in that,” Sawchuk said. “Blocking for me is a lot of a mindset, just being able to sit in there and be tough, be physical, get the job done. Protecting the quarterback is the No. 1 thing that we have to be able to do as an offense. If you don't protect that guy, you're not going to end up well.”
Sawchuk says the running backs have welcomed him in and the competition has been respectful. There’s also a knowledge that FSU will mix in tailbacks with a variety of skill sets to fulfil Malzahn’s goal of having a physical, downhill rush offense.
FSU's rush offense was 129th among 134 FBS schools in 2024, averaging just 89.9 yards on the ground per game. The ground game never got going last fall. But Malzahn had three of the nation's top rush offenses in his four years at UCF, and it's clear being efficient on the ground is a priority.
“One back can't really run the ball the whole game,” Sawchuk said. “It takes a couple of us. Somebody’s hot one game. Somebody’s hot the next. Whatever it is, just continuing to compete so we can get this offense where we want it to go.”
“I just felt like Florida State was the best place for me to be able to compete at a high level,” Sawchuk said on Thursday afternoon. “And then I just love the coaching staff, and I've had that relationship since high school. They recruited me out of high school, so getting back in contact with them, and just hearing the ways they wanted me here, the excitement for that, it was great.
"Continuing to build that relationship and have that opportunity, it was really great.”
Sawchuk picked Oklahoma over FSU and other schools in his first recruitment, and his sophomore season was quite impressive — 744 yards on 120 carries (6.2 average) with nine touchdowns. While he’s battled injuries, Sawchuk has shown more than just glimpses as he had five straight 100-yard rushing games to finish out 2023.
He he had 15 rushes for 100 yards and a touchdown in a 35-32 loss in the Cheez-It-Bowl to FSU in 2022. And he also had 10 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown in a 31-29 win over UCF in 2023.
FSU had plenty of options in the running back room coming out of the spring. But Norvell and Malzahn had been on the opposite sidelines in two very close games and seen firsthand what Sawchuk could do with the football. They opted to bring Sawchuk in and sell him on what he could do in the offense.
“Took a visit here, met with Coach Malzahn,” Sawchuk said. “And just went through the offense, learned about some of the schemes he likes to run, different things he likes to do to get athletes the ball in their hands and in space and to make plays and make opportunities.
“I loved it, watching it, a lot of stuff that I was kind of familiar with, I've seen before. I played against him when I was at Oklahoma, we played UCF, and it was dangerous offense. You see what he was able to do with the guys that he had. Just excited for what we're putting in and we're getting ready to do.”
Sawchuk said he remembers the warchant well, saying “it was really cool.” Hearing it often in the Orlando bowl game, “It was addicting, trying hard not to do it,” Sawchuk said. “I'm free to do it now.”
Coaches and fans would love to see him do that in the end zone in 2025. But it’s plausible Sawchuk is less of a workhorse back and instead part of a committee approach. It remains to be seen how Norvell and Malzahn will share the workload, but FSU has options with Sawchuk, Roydell Williams, Kam Davis, Ousmane Kromah, Jaylin Lucas, Caziah Holmes and Sam Singleton.
The argument for Sawchuk to get playing time, but also to manage his reps to keep him rested, is to maximize more than just his speed and 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame. It’s also to realize a strength: Pass blocking.
“I'm really confident in that,” Sawchuk said. “Blocking for me is a lot of a mindset, just being able to sit in there and be tough, be physical, get the job done. Protecting the quarterback is the No. 1 thing that we have to be able to do as an offense. If you don't protect that guy, you're not going to end up well.”
Sawchuk says the running backs have welcomed him in and the competition has been respectful. There’s also a knowledge that FSU will mix in tailbacks with a variety of skill sets to fulfil Malzahn’s goal of having a physical, downhill rush offense.
FSU's rush offense was 129th among 134 FBS schools in 2024, averaging just 89.9 yards on the ground per game. The ground game never got going last fall. But Malzahn had three of the nation's top rush offenses in his four years at UCF, and it's clear being efficient on the ground is a priority.
“One back can't really run the ball the whole game,” Sawchuk said. “It takes a couple of us. Somebody’s hot one game. Somebody’s hot the next. Whatever it is, just continuing to compete so we can get this offense where we want it to go.”
