Dexter Jackson has one request for Mike Norvell: start winning now.
The former Super Bowl MVP was part of some amazing teams during his time at FSU from the mid-to-late 1990s and he wants to see the Seminoles return to greatness. As a player that went 42-6 in his four seasons at FSU (1995-1998), it's hard for him to understand how the Seminoles have fallen so far over the past couple of seasons.
Mike Norvell has not won an ACC game since sep 21 2024.
— WreckTalk (@Wreck_Talk) October 19, 2025
Jackson says Norvell is on 'very thin ice'
During a wide-ranging interview with the Betway Insider blog, Jackson is direct about his thoughts on Norvell and the current status of FSU football. He suggests that Norvell needs to win the final five games this season to quiet any talk about his future at FSU. Jackson also points out how Norvell has failed as a recruiter.
"He needed a quarterback, so he brought in DJ Uiagalelei, but he wasn’t the guy. Now he brings in Tommy Castellanos, who is exciting, but there are still questions over whether he can be the guy. Besides the first class where he did get it right with transfers and some recruits, he has missed every time."Dexter Jackson
Norvell's biggest misses in recruiting are at QB
Doing a full breakdown of where Mike Norvell has failed in recruiting will take several posts and it might be a fun project for the offseason. But to continue with Jackson's thoughts the focus here will be on how the head coach has struggled with quarterback evaluations and it's forced him to go to the portal for two years and, if he stays, the likelihood of it happening in 2026 is high.
Since Norvell arrived, he's brought in Tate Rodemaker, Chubba Purdy, A.J. Duffy, Luke Kromenhoek, Brock Glenn and Kevin Sperry. The jury is still out on Sperry, a true freshman, and Glenn has been a loyal soldier despite being thrown to the wolves since he got to Tallahassee just to be disregarded by new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
Between the first five names listed they accounted for just 12 starts over five seasons. All but Glenn have transferred and none have made an impact in college football at any level.
It feels like wishful thinking to believe FSU can win out, but if they can even go 3-2 and find something in Sperry, it could be the thing that buys Norvell another year.