Florida State football has had its fair share of failures throughout the tenure of head coach Mike Norvell. The fan base has a right to be upset with how things have transpired in Tallahassee, but it doesn't mean that he cannot ever get it back together like he did in 2022 and 2023.
The Seminoles plummeted to a 5-7 record after the excitement of beating Alabama in the opener. This goes to show that the program has to have its actions speak louder than its words. Florida State is a school that expects to compete for championships- plain and simple.
Florida State is having to completely rehaul its roster with pieces from the transfer portal and high school recruiting ranks in 2026. The fan base is not happy with the fact that the Seminoles are having to uproot the team once again because they underperformed.
Florida State has a sneaky returnee for the 2026 season in redshirt senior linebacker Omar Graham Jr.
Florida State grabbed several talented transfers via the portal, and one of the more decorated prospects was former Southern Miss transfer Chris Jones. The junior originally committed and signed to Ole Miss, but the program was able to let him out of his agreement, and then Jones chose to sign with Florida State.
The Seminoles have also signed former North Carolina and Nebraska transfer Mikai Gbayor, who has been coached under defensive coordinator Tony White. It is never a bad thing to get familiar with a coach who has taught you before.
Even though Chris Jones and Mikai Gbayor are expected to be starters, there needs to be a third starter in the rotation. One name that isn't being talked about enough is redshirt senior Omar Graham Jr. He returns from last year's roster after having six starts and playing in all 12 games.
The former Stranahan High School standout was a former three-star prospect in the 2021 cycle. Graham Jr. was someone who was overshadowed by former five-star wide receiver Hykeem Williams. They both went to the same high school, and it seems like Williams was more exciting to the fan base.
Graham Jr. has continued to impress every single year that he has been at Florida State, but the coaching staff runs into the issue of not playing him, or he has injured himself.