Mike Norvell stood behind the podium Wednesday knowing exactly what awaited him: another round of questions about his job security and future Florida football. But before reporters could ask a single question, the sixth-year coach issued a five-minute statement summing up the 20-13 loss at Stanford last Saturday and made one thing clear: he is not running away from responsibility.
Florida State (3-4) hasn't won an ACC game in nine tries dating back to September 2024, and the current four-game skid has fueled rampant speculation about Norvell's future in Tallahassee. Athletic Director Michael Alford has publicly stated that he “fully committedTo help Norwell and the 2025 Seminoles rebuild, but noted that a complete overhaul of the program will take place at the end of the season. Alford's show of confidence could be seen as reassurance, but Norvell saw it differently.
“That statement was not for me,” Norvell said Wednesday. “Because I know that every day I show up, I know what it’s going to be and I know what it’s going to look like. But I'm grateful for the opportunity to be the head coach here at Florida State, and I'm not going to take it for granted. I'm also not going to sit and rely solely on what the messages are going to be. I have a job and I have to do my job and we have to do it better.”
The fight was as confusing as it was frustrating. Opening the season with a resounding victory over the then no. 8 Alabama and rising to No. 7 in the AP Top 25, Florida State has lost four straight games, each by one possession. Minor losses – with Virginia, Miami, Pittsburgh and Stanford – showcased a team that can compete but can't finish the job.
Florida State's fall from the heights of 2023, when it was 13-0 ACC champion before being eliminated from the tournament. College football The playoffs were awesome. Since then, the Seminoles are 5-15 overall and 1-11 overall against ACC opponents.
“I know and understand the expectations,” Norvell said. “And in any case, I have no higher expectations than what I have, and I know that it was not enough. Every day I come to this campus to be a part of this program, I am going to give it everything I have. This has happened over the past six years.
“The results haven't always been what I want,” he continued, “but when you look at all the different aspects of where we are and what it looks like, we have to get better, and I appreciate having faith in what that is and what that faith is for our future and what's ahead of us.”
Florida State will not host this week. Wake Forest on November 1, giving Norvell and his staff a short time to try to regroup.
