FSU football: Mike Norvell will not coach Memphis in Cotton Bowl
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football coach Mike Norvell has opted not to coach the Memphis Tigers in the Cotton Bowl against Penn State.
It has been news FSU football fans have been waiting on since Mike Norvell was introduced as FSU head coach Sunday.
Whether or not he’d coach his former team in the Cotton Bowl against Penn State later this month.
Memphis (12-1) earned its bid by winning the AAC Conference Championship with its win against Cincinnati Saturday.
Norvell left the door open when asked about it during the Q&A portion of his press conference Sunday, stating he’d want to do what was best for both programs.
In a letter he wrote to the Daily Memphian he communicated he has decided to not coach the bowl game and concentrate on what needs to be done at his new job in Tallahassee:
"It is with tremendous sadness announcing that I have coached my last game leading that great team. With the transition to a new opportunity and a restricted calendar, which is unique to this year, I will not be able to coach the Cotton Bowl. As I have told the team throughout my time, you give everything you have each and every day to the best of your ability focused on your CLIMB, and I could not stand in front of them without being able to prepare to the level they deserve. The team is in great hands with the administration, the coaching staff and the leaders on the team will continue to do what they have been trained to do and RESPOND."
Thoughts
It is absolutely the right move for a variety of reasons, but most of all because he’s now officially responsible for what’s going to take place with the FSU football program.
It’s imperative he spend his time trying to salvage the 2020 recruiting class and make the requisite coaching hires needed to get this program back to where it’s supposed to be.
He wouldn’t be able to do that and try to coach the bowl game that ultimately means very little in the grand scheme of things. I know that sounds harsh but it’s the same way I feel about FSU’s bid to play in the Sun Bowl.
It’s great for the players to have the experience and get the little swag bags and what not. At the end of the day, he took Memphis to its highest high place ever and now has an obligation to take FSU football back to the pinnacle of college football just as he communicated in his introductory press conference Sunday.
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It’s awesome how he appreciates his time there and hopefully he’ll have the same experience and success in Tallahassee.