The 2024 football season is something not a lot of Florida State fans want to remember, but that football season also taught Mike Norvell a lot. It taught him how to deal with the adversity of his team not playing well, but also taught him that maybe he shouldn't be the one calling plays for the offense.
Norvell made that decision towards the end of the 2024 season and ended up hiring UCF head coach Gus Malzahn, who at one point had been a great offensive coordinator, but was drowning with the Knights. Now, just a few weeks into the 2025 college football season, FSU is looking elite on offense behind Malzahn.
Not only was Mike Norvell the only head coach to do this, but Ohio State head coach Ryan Day did the same thing before the 2024 season and hired former head coach Chip Kelly, and then his team won a National Championship.
The Florida Gators have been in the same spot offensively for a couple of years now, but Bill Napier doesn't seem to think that his calling the plays is the problem.
Ryan Day, once his own play-caller, realized needed an OC, hired sitting head coach (Chip Kelly) as OC. Won a natty.
— Frank Frangie (@Frank_Frangie) September 7, 2025
Mike Norvell, same situation. Hired sitting head coach (Gus Malzahn) as OC. Likely saved his job.
Billy Napier said nah I’m good.
Well. …
Someone may want to tell Napier he is the problem, but at the same time, Florida State fans are completely fine with the Gators looking bad year in and year out when the Seminoles are now making strides to be one of the best teams in the country.
The Florida Gators wanted to talk a lot of smack about how they would come in and beat the Seminoles again this year, but seems how they couldn't even beat the USF Bulls, a team that isn't even in a power conference, FSU probably won't be too worried this year.
So if Napier wants to keep calling plays, that is totally fine, but he should look at how it has worked for other teams when you actually bring in an experienced play-caller.