Danny Kanell says he's not much of a "rah, rah" guy, but his unintentional pep talk is one that Mike Norvell should pass along, if he hasn't done so already.
Kanell, who led the Seminoles to a 20-3-1 record and two ACC titles in 1994 and 1996, was on the CBS Sports HQ channel to make a prediction for FSU's record in the upcoming season and started his comments with the message he believes every player on this year's team should hear.
"I would have a very simple message if I'm Mike Norvell — everybody thinks you stink, what are you going to do about it?" Kanell asked. ""That's the message. That's it. Everyone thinks Mike Norvell is going to get fired. Everybody thinks Florida State is going to be no good? What are you going to do about it?"
FSU football needs to have a 'bunker mentality' this season
The "us against the world" mentality is not unusual, and often it's one of the most annoying tropes in sports. There's nothing I hate more is when the star player from a team that's dominated all season, regardless of sport, says, "nobody thought we'd get here." It's so disingenuous I am just left to shake my head.
But in this case, Kanell is absolutely right. This is the season where Norvell and the FSU team should be able to rally around each other because the expectations are what they are. The offense can rally around Ashton Daniels as he has been treated like a joke. The defense should be able to rally around the belief that Tony White's defense will regress despite history telling us it will improve.
This presents a golden opportunity for Norvell to get the players to lead. As much as players may like their coaches, it's a hard sell for a coach to ask players to rally around the head coach. He's got amazing financial security if things work out or if they don't. However, it's a much easier task to tell players to rally around each other and fight off the general belief that they aren't good enough.
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The best FSU teams have been ones that were led by the players
This season has to be about the players. The guys that are expected to be good, like wide receivers Duce Robinson and Micahi Danzy, running back Ousmane Kromah, defensive lineman Mandrell Desir and cornerback Ja'bril Rawls, have to be great. And players with lower expectations, like Daniels, have to prove everyone was wrong about them.Â
READ MORE: The 3 players Mike Norvell needs to have a breakout season to save his job
The storyline is going to revolve around Norvell because he's the coach, but the actions have to revolve around the players because it's their reputation that is on the line each week. As Kanell later said in the video, these guys can't lean on how good FSU was in the past. The days of winning games because of the reputation that comes with the program and the helmet are long over. The 2026 Seminoles should be motivated to prove that they belong in the current college football conversation and everyone that thought they weren't good enough can take their opinions and...well, you know the rest.
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