When the 2023 Florida State Seminoles walked off the field at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte as ACC Champions, it seemed like Mike Norvell arrived as an elite Head Coach. The next morning, the life of the program was seemingly ripped away as you watched Mike Norvell and his team find out at 13-0, they wouldn't make the College Football Playoff.
Wild watching this now, realizing that this is the exact moment that Mike Norvell’s career died.
— FSU Plays Daily (@FSUplays) October 19, 2025
There was never any coming back from this. pic.twitter.com/PueQeqN2GY
Looking back at it, watching Mike Norvell sit in shock after hearing the news shows the exact moment his tenure was derailed. The Seminoles would get demolished in the bowl game by Georgia in what foreshadowed the next two seasons for the Seminoles.
If you told Florida State fans that Mike Norvell would be on the verge of being fired a season and a half later, they never would've believed it. After the season, Norvell received a massive contract extension, making it clear he wasn't leaving for Alabama. The only issue for Florida State is they'd now have to pay him all of that money to move on as the program is now releasing statements saying he's not going to be fired.
In a statement, FSU AD Michael Alford says the school is “fully committed” to Mike Norvell this season and a “comprehensive assessment” of the program will conclude at the season’s end.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 20, 2025
The 3-4 Seminoles, 2-10 last season, have lost four straight and nine consecutive ACC games. pic.twitter.com/GtoY6KXV5v
Ever since being left out of the College Football Playoff, Mike Norvell is just 5-15 with a 1-11 record in ACC play. The last time Florida State won a conference game was September of 2022, the Seminoles have been terrible in a league that is apparently so bad that Florida State sued it after they were left out of the College Football Playoff.
If you're looking for a reason to defend Mike Norvell, it's easy to see how the program went off the rails in 2024. The Seminoles lost a ton of talent to the NFL Draft, and the transfers Mike Norvell brought in just couldn't play to the same level. It's also easy to say that the snub the year prior left an effect on the team, and they folded the moment they lost their first game.
The collapse of this team in 2025 is inexcusable for Mike Norvell, and the reason the Seminoles had to make the move before he further damaged the program's reputation. After starting 3-0, including an impressive win over Alabama, this team has gone on a free fall, losing 4 straight games, including losses to teams Florida State expects to beat every year in Virginia, Pitt, and Stanford.
The rest of the season now becomes a massive test for Mike Norvell as he has to rally this team or he'll likely end up being fired. This group should be more talented than almost every team they play, yet for some reason they find ways to lose games that make you question how bad things are behind the scenes.