Florida State and coach Mike Norvell look like a pairing that will not be separating any time soon, even after dropping to 3-4 with a double overtime loss to Miami. The Seminoles entered a difficult game two weeks ago with plenty of fans eager to hear some sort of decision be made on Norvell's future after the game. Whether it was false hope from the start or a delay on Florida State's end, no announcement ever came.
Earlier today, however, Florida State President Richard McCullough published a letter on social media after fans had been waiting for some type of announcement for weeks.
McCullough addressed the current situation surrounding the lack of a winning result on the football field with a lengthy letter, but unfortunately, no real answers to what has gone wrong and how the administration will fix it were given.
Florida State President Richard McCullough addresses the current football problems without any solutions
Florida State is sticking with Norvell, whether the fans like the decision or not, even with some terrible streaks following him around. Norvell has not won an away game in his last 12 attempts, and the last time he did so was all the way back in the 2023 season. When he last won an away game, Norvell beat Max Brown and the Florida Gators, who were not exactly the toughest opponents.
To make matters worse, the Florida State offense has been held under 21 points 14 times in the past three seasons. The Seminoles have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the country as well, particularly during a catastrophic 2024 season that would have gotten the majority of college coaches fired. The sad part is that Norvell's current defense in 2026 is practically just as bad as it was in 2024, but a slightly improved offense is covering up the issue.
Florida State is allowing 434.9 total yards and 27.9 points per game this season, and in 2024, the defense allowed 385.9 total yards and 28 points per game. Two different teams with different rosters, but the same result under the leadership of Norvell. The Seminoles' problems start at the top, and that means going beyond Norvell.
What McCullough's statement really says about the lack of success that Norvell has found as the coach is that "we understand this is not good enough, but we aren't willing to make the difficult decisions that could make things better." McCullough admitted that the level of success that Florida State expects has not been there, but he would rather wait the situation out instead of admitting one key thing: he was wrong.
McCullough is never going to admit that he and the rest of the administration were wrong about Norvell, and nobody will ever admit that bringing the coach back time and time again has been woefully unproductive.
The loss to Miami, while it was competitive, proved two big things: the Florida State administration is fine with underachieving as long as it is not ugly, and near wins are enough to keep a losing coach around. When keeping Norvell became the plan, there needed to be something that could be turned into a positive, and a gritty loss to Miami has become that event.
McCullough may admit in his statement that he understands the results are far from what the fans want to see, but perhaps what he has taken too far is his trust in the fans. McCullough expects everyone to stick around through thick and thin, no matter how bad things potentially get. The reality, however, is that many people were already done with Norvell before the season began, and the longer the coach sticks around, the more fans will likely become disinterested.
Add us as a preferred source on Google