FSU football: Mike Norvell says long-term extension was important

FSU football head coach Mike Norvell has hit the road for his annual booster tour before spring practice begins on March 6th.

He’s in Pensacola, Florida, and has two players from the panhandle with him, Darius Washington and AZ Thomas.

Norvell touched on several topics in the video below, but one topic in particular that caught my attention was his thoughts on his recent contract extension.

It was the first time he had spoken since details of his contract extension became public last week. FSU administration made him the highest-paid head coach in the Sunshine State at 8.05 million per year.

The contract runs through the 2029 season, and Norvell spoke about why the contract length was important to him:

"“I don’t get a whole lot into the negotiation part, but it was important to me that the administration knew this is where I wanted to be. When you look at the longevity of the extension, that was something I desired because I really love it here. I really love being in Tallahassee, I love representing Florida State, I love the potential of where we’re going and what that’s going to mean. When I came here it wasn’t for the quick fix, we wanted to do this the right way and I believe we have.”"

Norvell’s agent is Jimmy Sexton, the same man that represents former FSU coaches Willie Taggart and Jimbo Fisher.

Of course, the latter is infamous for flirting with LSU, using that situation as leverage multiple times to get more money from FSU before ultimately quitting during the 2017 season for a massive contract from Texas A&M.

Texas A&M has yet to get any ROI from Fisher, but knowing Sexton reputation, and how much money FSU had to pay Willie Taggart when they fired him, fans were left wondering how the negotiations with Mike Norvell would go.

It was obvious he would get an extension after winning 10 games, and deservedly so after the mess he inherited and had to deal with in his first two years. However, to hear Norvell’s comments on wanting to be in Tallahassee for the haul had to be music to the ears of FSU football fans.

Norvell has this fan base re-energized with his passion and incredible work ethic. He has FSU football in a position to compete for championships in the 2023 season, which speaks to the potential of where the program is going.