It was already expected to be a rough ride home for Mike Norvell and the FSU football team after a 21-11 road loss to N.C. State, the 10th straight loss for the Seminoles outside of Doak Campbell Stadium. But the trip got very foggy, so foggy that the plane could not get to Tallahassee.
Instead, the Seminoles' charter jet landed in Jacksonville, Florida around 3:30 a.m. where buses were waiting to transport the team back to Tallahassee, which would normally be about a three-hour ride. However, the buses broke down too, extending the delay.
Eventually, the exhausted, mentally, physically and probably emotionally, Seminoles arrived back in Tallahassee before noon Saturday.
After a flight diversion to Jacksonville due to fog around Tallahassee’s airport and some bus trouble, FSU football is back on campus as of 11:15 am this morning.
— Liam Rooney (@__liamrooney) November 22, 2025
A suitable ending to the Norvell era
Mike Norvell hasn't been fired yet, but it's hard to see any path for him keeping his job at this point. The Seminoles are 5-6 and staring at a fourth losing season in six years under the 44-year-old coach. FSU's 3-13 ACC record in the last two seasons is one of the more disappointing stats in the history of the program.
The truth is that the program has been in a fog under Norvell since the Seminoles were snubbed out of the College Football Playoffs in 2023 despite going 13-0. It was a terribly unfair decision that surprisingly did more damage to Norvell and FSU football than it did to the braindead committee that made the decision.
Since then, FSU has gone 7-17, including a 2-10 record last season that was unthinkable considering the success of the program over the past 40 years. After the snub Norvell was going to be judged on how he reacted to that adversity and he's struggled at every turn.
Norvell's support has evaporated in the foggy air
The old adage for presidents should go for college football coaches on the hot seat: "If you need a friend, go get a dog."
Norvell has had a lot of support since he got to FSU. From the very beginning, he got more resources than Willie Taggart. He got the football-only facility that Jimbo Fisher was denied. Until this recent slump, he had been well-liked by boosters, and it's clear that athletic director Michael Alford doesn't want to fire him.
But decisions have to be made and if Alford has to choose between dumping a losing coach and eating a lot of money because of a ridiculous buyout or dealing with a full-on revolt from the fans, he'll wish Norvell good luck in his future endeavors.