Florida State lost to North Carolina State this past Friday night, which made fans believe that head football coach Mike Norvell would be relieved of his duties. However, that was not the case, as Sunday night, the program announced that it would retain Norvell for the 2026 season.
This reminds me a little bit of the Billy Napier situation, where they gave him a boost of confidence to stick with him another year even though individuals were frustrated. Then, the Gators fired him midway through the next season.
Ironically enough, the Seminoles play the Florida Gators in the Swamp this Saturday at 4:30 PM EST on ESPN2. This is how far both programs have fallen, since neither fan base seems interested in winning, even with Florida State potentially having bowl eligibility.
Coach Norvell took to the podium on Monday afternoon, where some fans were anticipating the same word salad from him. However, he made headlines by stating that he has "elite confidence" in where Florida State football is going.
It was unexcusable to go from 13-1 in 2023 to 2-10 in 2024. It almost takes a skill to screw up that badly. However, it happened, and the Seminoles have to find a method on how to turn the page into a new chapter for Florida State.
Norvell believes in these players, but he knows that they are an inconsistent bunch. The squad will go from beating Alabama in the opener to losing to Stanford on the road in a half empty stadium. The college football landscape has allowed teams to improve in an instant with NIL and the transfer portal.
Norvell had to complete the task of getting better in 2021 with going 5-7 in the regular season. The Seminoles then followed that up with a 10-3 record in 2022. It isn't impossible to suggest that he has elite confidence in where Florida State is going, but it looks like it could be a long road ahead if he continues to be "business as usual" with his approach.