There hasn’t been much good recruiting news for Mike Norvell’s Seminoles this offseason, so four-star EDGE Jaxon Holly’s commitment on Sunday came as a welcome surprise. Holly’s longstanding relationship with newly hired Florida State EDGE coach Nick Williams played a major role in his decision, but seemingly, so did unexpected optimism about the state of the program heading into Norvell’s seventh season.
Norvell’s hefty buyout saved him from certain termination after another losing season in 2025. Now, the overwhelming expectation is that 2026, with one of the toughest schedules in the ACC, is a lame-duck year before the administration is ready to stomach a $50+ million buyout. Holly isn’t thinking that way, though.
“I could see myself here playing early, freshman year, so that’s going to be fun. I think we’re going to bring this place back to what it was,” Holly told Warchant’s Matt LaSerre.
Jaxon Holly’s faith in Mike Norvell is misplaced
The case for playing early seems to be a recurring pitch for Florida State, especially this past weekend. That was the sell to three-star tight end Colton Johnson, who is favored to choose Alabama and has a visit with Tennessee, his top in-state school, still on the docket.
The fact that 2027 recruits think they can play so early is a poor reflection of the state of the roster, which needed such an overhaul after a 7-17 record over the last two years that Norvell took 34 freshmen in the 2026 class and 23 transfers. At this point, though, it’s really the only pitch Florida State can make because it’s so painfully obvious that this year is going to be Norvell’s last.
Even if Norvell had the chops to turn it around, if 2024 was truly the year from hell, with DJ Uiagalelei nursing any injury that the program inexplicably refused to reveal, and the vibes falling off a cliff after being left out of the 2023 College Football Playoff. And if 2025 had been better with Norvell calling the plays instead of Gus Malzahn, a responsibility that he’s reclaimed with his job on the line. There still wouldn’t be much chance he could “bring this place back to what it was.”
Maybe, if Holly sticks around for the next coaching staff, he can be a part of that resurgence. There’s a chance his relationship with Williams is strong enough, and that Williams, who has impressed as a recruiter since arriving in Tallahassee, is retained by the incoming staff. Then, his statement could be true, but with Norvell at the helm, Florida State is never going to get the financial investment from the donor base it needs to compete, even in the ACC, let alone for a national championship.
That’s the funny thing about paying a major buyout like Norvell will still have after this year. Sometimes it’s the most cost-effective way to operate your program because fed-up boosters will help pay for it and will be invigorated by a new coaching hire and therefore, be more willing to donate and fundraise for the roster. That’s the only path back for Florida State, and judging by the results of this year’s recruiting cycle, it seems that they know it and are holding back their resources for the inevitable reckoning.
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