Tallahassee Democrat reporter Peter Holland Jr gives his thoughts of FSU football retaining Mike Norvell for next season.
* Florida State announced head football coach Mike Norvell will return for the 2026 season.
* The decision comes despite the team’s 7-16 record over the past two years and mounting fan frustration.
* University leadership has pledged to make structural changes to the program to improve performance.
* Norvell is now under pressure to make significant improvements and deliver wins to satisfy the fanbase and administration.
Mike Norvell’s not entirely the problem.
Schools like Florida State University have seen wild swings in victories and losses as coaches navigate a new world of cutting checks to secure top talent. That same talent is also enticed by the transfer portal and a better deal that may await on the other side.
Meanwhile, the college football coaching market is spinning at an unsustainable pace with a scarcity of top-tier candidates. And the Sword of Damocles hanging over Norvell’s head with each loss isn’t helping.
Those are some of the between-the-lines takeaways from Sunday’s announcement from FSU that Norvell will return for a seventh season with the Seminoles in 2026.
Administrators have effectively given the embattled coach a last lifeline for another year. While Norvell took a voluntary pay cut after a dismal 2-10 showing in 2024, there have been no discussions of that happening this time around.
Naturally, the news didn’t go over well with many FSU fans exhausted by the program’s merry-go-round of embarrassing mediocrity.
For the second time in two months, FSU’s leadership has come to the defense of its embattled head football coach, this following October’s vote of confidence.
Questions had been swirling and mounting about Norvell’s job security. The furor seemed to reach another tipping point after the Seminoles’ 21-11 loss at North Carolina State on Nov. 21 that bounced FSU to 5-6.
Over the past two years, there have been more promises than victories.
The Seminoles are 7-16 and winless on the road, and they need a win at Florida on Saturday to gain bowl eligibility.
According to FSU’s statements Sunday, university leadership and Norvell, who has maintained his optimism for the future, pledged to make needed structural changes within the program to enhance performance.
Attention immediately fell on the higher end of off-field staff dedicated to player evaluation, talent acquisition, technology and logistics. But that is unlikely to satisfy many Seminoles, who have said the head coach and athletics director established the culture of chaos that has engulfed the program.
Why sticking with Norvell is the best, yet painful option for the Seminoles
FSU leadership, like it or not, has played its hand.
Sure, it may have been forced by a $59 million buyout, but this Seminole fan is OK with it.
It would cost the university far more than just bankrolling Norvell’s lucrative golden parachute; there’s also the millions to buy out assistant coaches (some analysts put the final price tag at about $100 million). And then there are the potential multiyear deals with players. Plus, what second-tier coach out there excites you enough to spend additional millions on him and his requests?
I agree it’s been a grueling, frustrating experience on too many game days. Bobby Bowden’s Dynasty Era was a lifetime ago, right? But it feels, in a way, that FSU football is so close, yet so far. And maybe the pieces are in place to build momentum for next season under Norvell.
That appears to the be the thinking of the leadership group, specifically FSU Board of Trustees Chair Peter Collins, President Richard McCullough and VP and Athletic Director Michael Alford.
The trio will be forever judged by this decision in which the unconquered brand hinges upon.
It’s worth noting Collins’ role here. Trustee chairs aren’t typically named in the press releases for these types of announcements. But Collins has clearly been at the forefront of the decision to keep Norvell.
A portion of his statement in the Seminoles’ news release spoke volumes.
“We will address performance deficiencies in the program,” Collins said. “These deficiencies may include structural changes to the very large and complex program FSU football has become, and these areas are where we will focus and invest.”
Will coaches, players and staff be on the chopping block?
My take is Norvell has struggled not only stopping the Seminoles’ slide, but hiring the best staff during the seismic shifts rocking college football.
It’s such a different deal due to how head coaches must also manage the business and player-related aspects of the sport. The hierarchy of a football program now includes personnel and scouting departments separate from the coaching staff.
That’s where FSU leadership, including Norvell, promised changes this offseason.
Norvell has faced withering criticism for over-reliance on the portal and short-shifting recruiting and the development of elite talent. Norvell, too, must continue to evolve as a CEO/coach and face the facts that his actions have helped fuel the freefall.
Norvell has won at Memphis and FSU during his coaching tenure. And there’s no denying he deeply cares about FSU, his players and the community.
That’s wonderful but hasn’t been enough.
Novell must find the elixir and toughness to sustain the level of success that FSU alumni, fans and stakeholders demand and deserve. Millions and millions of dollars and resources were poured into the massive renovation of Doak Campbell Stadium and new football-only facility.
That means Norvell must make difficult decisions regarding coaches, players and support staff. There has been too much regression and not enough improvement on the field. Recruiting and player development are two important paths to ensure the Seminoles get back on track.
Is this Norvell’s final, final chance to make things right?
FSU football is such a paradox.
So good on paper, but so bad on the field at times.
The Seminoles opened the season with such great expectations, beating nationally-ranked Alabama and setting the tone for what should have been a season of redemption following last year’s 2-10 record.
It hasn’t worked out that way.
In fact, it seems to have reached the point where fans fear the worst and often are rewarded with an unthinkably worse outcome, like a punt bouncing off a Seminoles’ helmet and bobbling into the arms of the waiting punter. Or muffing a punt minutes later with the game’s outcome still in the balance.
So I get why some fans think the program is cursed.
“Respond” has been a common phrase for Norvell to his team as losses mount over the past two years. News reports earlier this season even suggested players were joking about how often he overused the phrase to inspire players in the locker room.
This is no joke.
Norvell’s been afforded many chances. This is truly his last chance to respond.
Jim Henry is Tallahassee Democrat sports editor. Email him at [email protected].
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