Florida State has allowed 1,152 yards over its last two games, losses to ranked opponents, FSU and Alabama. After building a 21-6 lead over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, the Seminole defense gave up points on nine straight Alabama possessions en route to a 50-36 loss.
Naturally, second-year defensive coordinator Tony White is under fire and could potentially become the scapegoat for what looks to be another disastrous season under Mike Norvell. Norvell’s buyout is still hovering around $50 million, so maybe White could be the pound of flesh FSU hands the fanbase. But for a program that expects to compete for national titles, let alone an ACC crown, that simply won’t be enough.
In his press conference on Monday, Norvell said that “none of it is solely on the players,” echoing the phrase used in a reporter's question, and added, “It always comes down to the things coaches and what we do putting players in the right position."
He later said, "We need to reevaluate what we're asking the players to do."
And while he never pointed a finger at White, Norvell is an offensive-minded head coach who returned to calling the plays this season for a unit that hung 36 points on a top-10 team. So that reevaluation falls on White, who accepted the blame for the defensive struggles. "It starts with me first. It's my fault. I should have stayed aggressive. I've just got to be really critical of myself."
However, as this shapes up to potentially be Norvell’s fifth losing season in seven years, White is only a symptom, and anything short of wholesale changes, including new general manager John Garrett, won’t be enough to fix a broken football program.
FSU’s changes can start with Tony White but they cannot end there
If Norvell opts to fire White, that’s perfectly fine. His defense has been wretched, including against New Mexico State in Week 0. But White is far from the only problem, even on that side of the ball.
"I know what we're teaching is sound; I know what we're asking guys to do. It has not always looked that way when you turn on the film. That's a collection of all of us that need to be better,” Norvell later said. It’s been evident for three years with this program that the message isn’t getting through, and at some point, there’s nothing the head coach can do to wrestle back that control.
That’s not to mention that Norvell hired White to fix his defense after 2024, and two years into that experiment, it’s just as bad. With Norvell’s track record, he shouldn’t get another chance to try again with a different coordinator.
So, Florida State should get rid of the entire coaching staff this offseason, but frankly, why stop there? Yes, there were financial limitations on the construction of this roster, partially due to a lack of belief in Norvell and partially because of now-former athletic director Michael Alford’s miscalculations. But this roster isn’t good, especially on defense.
First-year general manager John Garrett, who came from Duke, was supposed to help this staff do more with less, and it’s certainly difficult to get players to take a discount to board a sinking ship, but the money he did have wasn’t spent well. The Desir twins forced the program into a difficult spot by entering the transfer portal, and neither player has returned the investment FSU had to make to bring them back into the fold.
When White didn’t blitz on Saturday, he had no chance of stopping Russell. A Florida State defensive line should not have that little pass-rush juice, and the secondary should not be that susceptible. A lot of that is on White, but even the high-priced players on that unit haven’t made plays.
FSU blitzed on 60.6% of Keelon Russell's dropbacks in Week 3. On his 13 dropbacks vs. a 3- or 4-man rush, Russell went 13/13 for 217 yards and 2 TDs.
— Josh Yourish (@JYourish3) September 20, 2026
Garrett appeared to be FSU’s attempt at establishing some long-term stability ahead of Norvell’s seemingly imminent firing, but between the defensive debacle, Ashton Daniels, offensive line misses, and the wasted money on Quintrevion Wisner, his first offseason is looking disastrous. So, there’s no need to force your next head coach to hitch his wagon to Garrett.
It should be a clean sweep in Tallahassee. There might not be a football program in the country that needs it more. It can start with White if Norvell needs a temporary scapegoat, but if it ends there, that’s a terrible mistake.
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