Following yet another embarrassment, this time in the form of a 52-3 loss to No. 10 Notre Dame, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell announced a significant overhaul of his coaching staff.
Norvell made the decision to fire offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans. These decisions come amid a season that has fallen far short of expectations by epic proportions, leaving the Seminoles at a dismal 1-9 record.
In a statement, Norvell expressed gratitude for these coaches, but said that these changes "needed to be made" to "elevate program." Here’s Norvell’s full statement:
“I appreciate the work these three men have provided over the last five years with me at Florida State,” Norvell said via ESPN. “They are all great men with families who also have poured into our program. We had many great moments together here, and I have never doubted their passion for our players and for Florida State. Unfortunately, we have not upheld the Florida State standard with our results on the field this season. I did not make any of these decisions lightly, but I felt changes needed to be made to elevate our program back to where we all desire it to be.”
The season has been a stark contrast to last year's success when the Seminoles went undefeated in the ACC and narrowly missed a spot in the College Football Playoff. This, of course, isn't just a small veer off the path. The last time that Florida State was 1-9 was back in 1974. That's 50 years for those counting along.
Because of the way this season has gone — and, honestly most of Norvell's tenure outside of 2023 — many Florida State fans have called for the program to cut ties with their head coach and move in another direction.
We noted a few weeks ago that Norvell's massive buyout at more than $60 million is a major obstacle for the Seminoles, and because of that, the overarching belief is that Florida State might be stuck with Mike Norvell for the time being, regardless of what fans might be wishing.
Now, Norvell firing both of his coordinators proves that Florida State is stuck with him. There's no way the administration would allow Norvell to be making significant personnel decisions this late in the season if there was a real movement to have him fired.
Instead, it would be Norvell packing his bags and punching his ticket out of Tallahassee, especially after yet another embarrassing loss coupled with all the decommitments that FSU has suffered and the way that Norvell has seemingly lost the program..
Florida State has essentially conceded that they'll be stuck with Norvell for the time being. His massive buyout — coupled with Florida State's ongoing lawsuit with the ACC — seems to be too much to overcome, even with the deep pockets in Tallahassee.
Norvell will hope to bring in a huge Transfer Portal class — and hire two elite coordinators — this offseason, because it looks as if 2025 will be his final stand if he wants to have any staying power in Tallahassee.