Annual Noles/Bucs/Bolts/Magic Offseason Check-In

     Here we are again. Another year in the books, another year where none of my teams could advance beyond round 1 of the playoffs (despite Orlando holding a 3-1 lead over Detroit and the Lightning also being a Game 7 win away).

     When the 2025-26 seasons began for each of these teams, expectations were different. Florida State expected to have a big bounce-back season after its worst season in 50 years, the Buccaneers expected to win the division and return to the playoffs for a 6th straight season, the Magic expected to be one of the top team's in the East after making a splash trade for Desmond Bane and the continued growth and development of their young stars, and the Lightning expected to continue to be a perennial contender primed to get past the first round for the first time since 2022. But as we know now, none of that really panned out...

     FSU opened the year with a true stunner defeating perennial powerhouse Alabama by two touchdowns. They would start the season 3-0 and even spent time ranked inside the top 10. But then the drop off ensued, as FSU would lose 7 of its final 9 to finish with a record of 5-7, missing a bowl game yet again.

     Similarly, the Buccaneers got off to a hot start, winning 6 of their first 8 and at one point being 1st in the NFC. But then equally similarly, Tampa would collapse in the second half of the season, going 2-7 the rest of the way, including a long string of losses to some pretty bad teams. The Bucs would finish 8-9 and ultimately lose the NFC South division crown to the Carolina Panthers, ending the playoff streak as well.

     The Magic entered 2025-26 with the mindset that the rebuild was complete and it was time for them to be a true contender in the East. Things like a 50 win season, a top 4 seed in the East, and ending the 16 year playoff series win drought all seemed possible. But once again injuries played a factor, with Franz Wagner playing less than half the games and Jalen Suggs missing close to a third of the season as well. It was a roller coaster from start to finish, with highs like making the final 4 of the NBA Cup and taking 3 of the first 4 games against #1 seeded Detroit, but there were also some pretty low lows, none lower than choking away a Game 6 that will haunt them all summer. Ultimately, Jamahl Mosely was relieved of his duties and the Magic are currently searching for the franchise's next head coach.

     Lastly, the Lightning will spend the offseason wondering WTF happened after the Olympics. Entering the break, the Bolts were the hottest team in hockey and had the best record in the East and second best record in the entire NHL, and seemed primed to make another deep run and compete for a Stanley Cup. But for whatever reason, the team was never the same after the Olympic break, and played like more of an average/middle of the pack club. Still, at the start of the playoffs, it seemed like the stars were aligning for Tampa to make a run. Florida and Toronto were not in the way this time, and the only other real experienced Eastern conference threat was Carolina. Tampa drew Montreal in round 1, and the two teams played an uber competitive series where 4 of the first 6 games went to OT. But the Canadiens would ultimately win a decisive Game 7, a game Tampa probably feels it should have had given it was at home and they outshot Montreal 29-9.

     So that brings us to today. In regards to football, my plan is to do things a little differently this year. Since the transfer portal/free agency/the draft are all complete, my idea was just to take a small position-by-position pulse check on both FSU and the Bucs. This will also dive into things like the schedules, the perceived landscape of the ACC/NFC South, and the coaching staffs. For basketball and hockey, this will serve as more of an offseason preview. We'll talk a little bit about Orlando's coaching search, as well as things like roster decisions & possible moves. Lastly, at the very end, there will be some bonus content about some of our secondary teams as well as some things to watch between now and Labor Day. Let's get started.

Florida State Seminoles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Lightning

Orlando Magic

Everyone Else

Tennessee Titans

     It's an exciting time in Nashville. Cam Ward is no longer a rookie, and the organization is hoping to see him take a step forward in year 2. They're hoping using the 4th overall pick on Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate will help that cause, and give Ward a true alpha pass-catcher. The Titans also overhauled the coaching staff to lead this new era of Tennessee football. Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was hired and tasked to improve a young Titan defense while former Giants head coach Brian Daboll was hired as the team's new OC to help guide Ward, Tate, and this young developing offense.

New York Giants

     Similar to Tennessee, there seems to be a sense of hope and direction for the Giants that has been lacking for the past decade. Much of that can also be attributed to a QB looking to build off of a successful rookie year in Jaxson Dart. Much also can be attributed to the hire of longtime Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. New York will also get star wide receiver Malik Nabers back from an ACL tear that sidelined him most of 2025 and added two more talented prospects by virtue of having two top 10 picks in the draft in edge rusher Arvell Reese (5th overall) and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (10th overall).

FSU Basketball

     It was a good first season for new head coach Luke Loucks. The team really rounded into form the 2nd half of the season and was contending with the country's best teams. Unfortunately, too much damage was done in the first half of the season to receive a March Madness invite, but if Loucks can parlay that experience and lessons learned from the 2nd half of his rookie coaching season, bright days are ahead for FSU. For the second year in a row, it will be pretty much an entirely new roster. But the good news is Loucks landed just about every major target of his and also brings in a strong recruiting class of incoming freshman, some of whom may be instant contributors.

FSU Baseball

     The tournament begins May 29 and FSU finds themselves just inside or just outside the top 10 of the rankings depending on which poll you use (they rank between 8 and 11 in all). The team is hoping to make another run at Omaha (the destination where the final 8 teams go) after coming up just short last season. The team will miss Myles Bailey, their best power hitter who suffered a season-ending injury back in March, however they've been able to weather the storm and still be a top 10 team the rest of the season. I wouldn't consider them one of the favorites, but they're at least in the mix.

Tampa Bay Rays

     They're...good?? Like really good?? Maybe great?? We're only about a quarter of the way through the MLB season, but as it stands the Rays are 28-13. That puts them in 1st place in AL East, a division that includes the World Series runner up Toronto Blue Jays, the perpetually great New York Yankees, and the big spending Boston Red Sox. 

PGA Tour

World Cup