Week 3 has officially come and gone for Florida State with the 50-36 loss to the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide. Coach Mike Norvell took the stand directly after the loss to answer questions, and his comments on the defense are simply not enough to rectify the performance.
Florida State entered the game in Tuscaloosa as heavy underdogs against a dominant Alabama team that was hungry for the win. The Seminoles managed to stand toe-to-toe with the Crimson Tide early, but the defense fell apart in a major way in the second quarter, which set the tone for the rest of the game.
Defensive coordinator Tony White looked utterly lost against the Alabama offense, with the Crimson Tide finding success against all different personnel changes, coverages, and blitzes. The defense has needed to make adjustments since the Week 0 win over New Mexico State, and now that Norvell has acknowledged White has failed to do so, it is time to move on.
On the FSU defense, Norvell says that side of the ball’s play is “not good enough” right now.
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) September 20, 2026
Points out that SMU and Alabama have good offenses, but no excuse to give up over 550 yards two straight games. pic.twitter.com/7ceczWPO6g
Florida State needs to move on from Tony White after the Alabama loss
For the Seminoles, the loss in Tuscaloosa is a disaster for a handful of reasons, but perhaps the most notable is the defensive collapse. Florida State made Alabama work for the yards early before big plays popped off left and right. A defense with no spine is the last thing the program needs during the 2026 season, and no clear improvements have been made on the field through three games.
On top of the lack of improvements and toughness on defense, the sheer lack of production is extremely concerning. Ja'Bril Rawls recorded the lone sack of the game for Florida State, and Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell excelled against the blitz the rest of the game. Russell never truly was in danger in the pocket the rest of the game, and when he did have to move, the Seminoles were still unable to stop him.
Russell finished the game with 320 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 56 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. There is certainly no doubt that the quarterback is talented, but the defensive breakdowns from Florida State will allow virtually any quarterback to find success.
The issues for the defense went beyond Russell as well, with Alabama compiling a total of 567 yards of offense. SMU additionally put up 585 yards of total offense in the Week 1 contest, as Florida State now allows an average of 490 yards of offense per game. Moving the football against the defense is becoming comically easy for opposing teams.
The defense needs to seriously improve, and with three games in 2026 under his belt to do so, time is up for White. The sense is that Norvell will be getting the boot sooner rather than later, which means a new coach will end up taking his place and picking out his own staff. If White is gone whenever Norvell is, then Florida State should get things moving early and give an opportunity to someone else.
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