Accountability
I wrote about how FSU went from undefeated to the worst Power Four team nationally a few weeks back. Mike Norvell's comments in several press conferences led me to believe I was spot on with my assessments, even though I'm no insider. As a former college athlete, I have a good understanding of how things work from a coach/player standpoint.
There were accountability issues in the program, and that started with Mike Norvell. Mike Norvell must hold himself and the staff accountable, and I don't think the latter happened, which led to the players not holding one another accountable.
The dynamics of the Norvell/Malzahn relationship could make it difficult for Mike Norvell to hold Malzahn to the standard needed to be elite. Maybe Malzahn is self-motivated, and it won't be a problem. However, if Norvell evaluates things and finds that Malzahn isn't upholding the standard? Will he call him out on it?
If you didn't know, Malzahn gave Mike Norvell his first shot as a graduate assistant at Tulsa when Malzahn was the offensive coordinator. Norvell took a lot of his offensive concepts from Malzahn.
It's like that relationship with a good friend when you see them doing things they shouldn't. How often do you say something? Do you say something every time it needs to be said? Will he treat Malzahn differently than the rest of the staff because of their history?
If so, that could open a whole new set of issues.