Florida State football made the move to retain head coach Mike Norvell for the 2026 season. Some fans thought that this was a head-scratching decision with the program having a combined 7-17 record over the past two seasons.
With that said, Florida State football fans doesn't seem to have a ground to stand on, but it should be stated that the Seminoles won't be down forever. Either Coach Norvell will get it turned around in 2026, or they will have a viable option in place because Florida State is a coveted job in college football.
It should be noted that Seminole fans cannot say much right now because the program lost to their arch-rivals with an interim head coach. This should not be a moment to brag, but the color orange is something that makes me want to throw up.
The Gators hired Tulane head football coach Jon Sumrall this offseason after Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin was a top option and decided to agree to a contract with the LSU Tigers. Most feel that Florida settles for a Group of Five option again (see Billy Napier's tenure).
Before Sumrall heads to Gainesville, he wants to coach the Tulane Green Wave in the College Football Playoff in their road matchup against Ole Miss. The problem is that the Rebels have already blown out the Green Wave in the regular season. The PTSD won't stop there for Sumrall as the Gators play Ole Miss at home on September 26th next year.
Mark those calendars for the Jon Sumrall revenge game on September 26th pic.twitter.com/ycj9hof4NA
— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) December 20, 2025
Sumrall got rave reviews from SEC coaches about it being a smart decision for Florida to hire him, but Tulane got rocked by Ole Miss on the road during Saturday afternoon's College Football Playoff matchup by a score of 41-10. The Rebels will be playing Georgia in the next game, while Sumrall will be preparing the Gators for the 2026 season.
It is concerning that the former Tulane head football coach got his teeth kicked in by Ole Miss twice this season. Florida doesn't have a can't-miss talent at the quarterback position, as DJ Lagway is in the transfer portal (not saying that he is great either, with consistently throwing interceptions to LSU defenders).
Say what you want about Coach Norvell and the state of Florida State football at the moment, but there is faith that the Seminoles will get it turned around in no time. It doesn't give warm feelings that Miami won a College Football Playoff game and Florida has a new coach, though.