Earlier this month, it was announced the FSU wouldn't have a spring football game for the second straight year. Last season, the spring game was nixed because renovations to Doak Campbell Stadium were in progress. This year it's being nixed because of...reasons? The word that's been given is that Mike Norvell wants to get the most out of limited practice time. Fair enough.
I could sit here and list the reasons why not having a spring game is a huge mistake, especially when the football program needs something positive to make the fanbase feel good. Plus...it's a spring game and the format can truly be whatever the coaches want it to be. The positives of a spring game to the coaches, the players, the fans and the local economy seem to outweigh the negatives.
Former FSU center Bryan Stork made a long post on social media about why this is a mistake. You can read the whole thing for yourself, but there's one point that really caught my attention.
I understand wanting to protect assets but don’t BS me about spring games take away from development, it gets everyone a chance to compete in live action with a crowd while having the 1’s 2’s & 3’s mixed up playing next to each other (which could happen in the fall bc injuries… https://t.co/8psvFdcZLh pic.twitter.com/pTZwa4272R
— Bryan Stork (@CoachBStork) March 7, 2026
Stork is obviously very passionate about FSU and surely disappointed at how a lot of things have gone down recently. But this part really stuck out to me:
"It gets everyone a chance to compete in live action with a crowd while having the 1’s 2’s & 3’s mixed up playing next to each other (which could happen in the fall bc injuries happen)."
Bryan Stork speaks on the benefits of playing a spring game
There have been many criticisms of Mike Norvell's program over the past two years, but one that stings hard is the feeling that FSU isn't well-prepared week-to-week. They aren't prepared well coming into the games and the in-game adjustments are either bad or simply non-existent.
Getting the players (and coaches) in somewhat of a live-action situation, in front of real fans, would not only turn up the competitive juices for the whole team, but it's a great experience for the younger guys to get that stadium experience and to see how they can react when the lights are bright.
College football coaches, by nature, are a species that likes to control everything. The beauty of football (or any sport) is that once the whistle blows that control can be altered at any moment and the most successful teams are the ones that are prepared for the unexpected.
Stork's words aren't going to change anything, but it's worth a footnote. And with early-season games against SMU and Alabama, we'll see how much this extra practice has prepared the Seminoles for what lies ahead.