I published an article on these pages in late August about four college football coaches who needed to win or be fired this season. So far, three of those four coaches have been fired—the last man standing is Mike Norvell at Florida State. Here’s how I think FSU should handle the Norvell matter.
Florida State’s decision to keep Mike Norvell has been polarizing among Seminole fans, to say the least. Many of the FSU faithful want Norvell fired and replaced by former FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher. Others still believe in Coach Norvell and want to see him succeed.
While I agree that Fisher should be a top choice if the school decides to part ways with Norvell, I think there are strong arguments on both sides of the fence. So, let me make a two-sided case, for and against Mike Norvell. Then, I’ll comment on where I stand.
Case Against Norvell
Mike Norvell (photo courtesy WTXL)
Mike Norvell is currently in his sixth season as the head coach of the Noles. In the previous five seasons under the coach, Florida State has finished with a losing record three times, going 3-6 in 2020 during his first season, and 5-7 in 2021 the following year.
His 2-10 record in 2024 ranks among the worst seasons in the history of the program, and that season included losses to Memphis (Norvell’s alma mater), getting throttled by Notre Dame, and Duke 23-16, which is the only time Duke has beaten the Seminoles.
Moreover, FSU has experienced several of the most embarrassing losses in its history during the Norvell era. Two examples were getting trounced 63-3 by Georgia in a bowl game and losing to FCS Jacksonville State.
Things didn’t get better this season, with the 20-13 loss to Stanford being emblematic of the team’s woes against ACC competition. FSU has gone 2-12 in its last 14 ACC conference games, posting a 1-7 record in conference play last year and a 1-5 mark in 2025 as of this writing. This includes a stretch of losing nine consecutive ACC conference games. Then there is Norvell’s record against Florida State’s biggest rivals, Florida (2-2), Miami (3-3), and Clemson (1-4), for an aggregate 6-9 record.
Bottom line: The case against Mike Norvell is very strong.
The Case for Norvell
The first piece of positive evidence came in 2020. On October 17, the #5 North Carolina Tar Heels came to Tallahassee, and Norvell’s team toppled the Tar Heels 31-28. That was an appetizer for 2022 when the Seminoles went 10-3, marking FSU’s first 10-win season since 2016. Notable wins included a 24-23 victory over LSU, and capping off the season with a 35-32 win over Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl. It was only the second time in history that FSU had prevailed over the Sooners.
Then came inexplicable 2023, which (for fans of any school) may have been the most up-and-down experience in college football history. Florida State started 13-0 and claimed an ACC Championship, but didn’t make the College Football Playoff. Then came that blowout loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
Another upside came in the aforementioned 2025 season opener when the Seminoles defeated Alabama 31-17. Nobody saw that coming, especially on the heels of the Seminoles’ 2024 2-10 (1-7 ACC) record. But FSU won that game, and the victory rocked the college football world.
]Since then, however, the Crimson Tide have gone 8-0. Meanwhile, FSU has compiled a 3-5 record (4-5 overall), beating East Texas A&M, Kent State, and Wake Forest, and losing to Virginia, Miami, Pitt, Stanford, and Clemson. Going into the November 15 matchup with Virginia Tech, the Seminoles (with Syracuse) occupy the bottom rungs of the ACC standings.
Final Thoughts
So, when everything is taken into consideration, how should FSU handle the Mike Norvell situation?
First, I believe the ‘Bama win stimulated unachievable expectations. It’s rare for a team to go from 2-10 and then play for a national championship the following year. The FSU 2025 reality is that the team had new coordinators and only six returning starters. Put another way, 2025 is a rebuilding year that got off to an incredible (and unexpected) start.
Should Mike Norvell be fired? After reviewing everything, I say no, regardless of what happens the rest of this season. Give Norvell at least one more year to get it together. Rome was not built in a day, and we’ve seen how good Florida State can be under Mike Norvell. This year’s ‘Bama win is another glimpse of that.
That said, if things don’t start moving in the right direction in 2026, then maybe it would be time to move on. For now, I say: Let Mike Norvell work.
