FSU football: 6 takeaways from Mike Norvell’s third year in Tallahassee

Healthy Team Culture

Culture is a buzzword we’ve thrown around with this FSU football program over the past few years. It began near the end of the Jimbo Fisher era and carried over with Willie Taggart.

The team culture wasn’t where it needed to be, with little to no accountability. Most of all, players were not holding one another accountable, but that has changed over the past two years. It has carried onto the field and is one of the main reasons FSU has remained competitive in every game since 2021.

The team doesn’t fold at the first hint of adversity like it used to, and the players play for one another with unmatched passion. Players that entered the transfer portal were still practicing with the team leading up to the bowl game.

Players that could or might enter the NFL Draft decided to play in the bowl game. However, the moment near the end of the bowl game with Jazston Turnetine is the epitome of good team culture:

Turnetine was the last player to earn a scholarship after joining the team during the summer from the transfer portal. He has been at FSU for less than six months but became an important part of the team’s success this year when other offensive linemen went down with injuries.

The way his teammates rallied around him at this moment sent chills down my spine. Of course, they went on to win the game to cap off an amazing season.