At some point, enough is enough, and unfortunately for the Seminoles, that point may not arrive this season for coach Mike Norvell. Despite sitting at 3-4 currently with back-to-back ACC losses to Louisville and Miami, there is a feeling surrounding the program that Norvell will be returning as the coach of the team for the 2027 season.
It is a hard pill to swallow, particularly because there has not been a shroud of success great enough this season to warrant thinking, "Maybe this guy has what it takes to bring the team back to the top in the future."
With a record of 10-21 in the last two and a half seasons and a ridiculous 12-game road losing streak, Norvell has done nothing but prove he no longer has what it takes to bring Florida State firmly back into the mix with the top programs in the country.
While it may seem clear to the fans that Norvell has flopped, the Florida State administration, however, would argue that this situation is a case of bad luck and not bad coaching. Something needs to be done in Tallahassee to promote change, but it does not look like any positive news will be coming out in the near future.
Florida State is heavily considering bringing Mike Norvell back for the 2027 season even after a rough start
Last week, Pete Thamel of ESPN broke down the full cost and scope of each notable buyout situation in college football. Thamel revealed that Florida State could have a tricky time pulling off the buyout of Norvell due to the $430 million of debt that has accumulated. The debt is already accounted for, but the administration is not necessarily looking to add another projected $68 million onto that total if it can be avoided.
Thamel also noted that the Florida State administration really likes Norvell, even with the chaos that has been following him. Another source told Bruce Feldman of The Athletic that Florida State believes Norvell "can't catch a break", and the results between both this season and the past two are a result of operating with a much smaller budget than the teams they are chasing.
The administration can make any excuse that they want, but I am not buying any of it. You can argue that the Seminoles have been unlucky at times, particularly in overtime against Miami, but it is delusional to think that a win over Virginia or a narrow loss to a top-ranked team is productive enough to hand over more money to Norvell to build a roster with, let alone bring him back for another season.
Week 7 originally felt like the week where we would finally get some clear answers on what the next step is with Norvell, even if the decision was to keep him around. Leaving everyone in limbo waiting for a real answer is childish when the administration has had weeks to make a real decision.
The problem is not just inherently bringing back Norvell after he struggled to do much of anything with the last three rosters, it is the fact that Florida State cannot own its decision. Excuses continue to be made at every step for Norvell, regardless of how bad the losses get, and it feels like the administration is just waiting to announce a big enough excuse to bring Norvell back.
Is it bad luck or poor preparation for Mike Norvell's Seminoles?
Originally, the expectations for Norvell heading into the season heavily involved a better product being put out on the field. The issue, however, is that "better" appears to have been loosely defined, and avoiding ugly losses by keeping games close might be enough.
This feels like a classic case of the goalposts being moved each time something goes wrong, and in this case, the Florida State administration keeps moving them backwards. Wins were needed for Norvell to stick around, and then, when the wins dried up, keeping games close and improving in some areas became good enough.
The problem is that Florida State cannot expect to be "good enough" forever while still chasing down programs like Miami. The Hurricanes continue to spend heavily on the program and have had no issues moving on from coaches when the team is needed. Manny Diaz was fired with a 21-15 record, which the fans in Tallahassee would be delighted to see instead of a tumultuous 10-21 stretch.
The Seminoles cannot move forward with the number of issues that continue to stack up, particularly when each issue can be traced back to Norvell.
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