Florida State football finished with a 5-7 record. This was not the expectation for a program that wants to compete for conference and national championships, especially after beating the likes of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the opener.
The Seminoles' fan base thought that the program would make changes, such as firing head football coach Mike Norvell. The Stanford road game loss was about as bad as it gets, and it was embarrassing to see Florida State struggle as much as they did.
However, the university announced that Coach Norvell would be retained for the 2026 season. Many individuals didn't like the decision, as they thought that Florida State was an "unserious program".
As it stands, Florida State has been horrible over the past two seasons, where they have a combined 7-17 record. What's even worse is that they have accomplished a road win in two years.
What a time to be alive...
Norvell mentioned in a press conference after the Florida season finale that major changes would take place. This thought process usually means that there will be a front office change, coaching movement, and player acquisition from high school recruiting and transfer portal.
Two major coaches that were in question about their job security were offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and defensive coordinator Tony White. Norvell was asked about both individuals remaining on staff, and this is what he had to say:
"Yes. There has not been any discussion in regard to that. "
This seems like this was a no-brainer for Norvell to bring them back. Unfortunately, the fan base was fed up with the fact that Coach White coordinated a defense against Florida that allowed 266 rushing yards to running back Jadan Baugh. Then, Coach Malzahn had a "gimmicky offense" that was very inconsistent from game-to-game.
Nonetheless, Coach Norvell is all about stability within the coaching staff and staying loyal to his assistants. The Seminoles had six coaching staff changes this previous offseason (I'm surpised that he let Surtain go). He probably figured that it wouldn't do any good to start fresh with two brand-new coordinators again, and that it would get better in 2026 with Coach White and Malzahn.