The 2024 Season was a disaster for the Florida State Seminoles as Mike Norvell followed up an undefeated regular season and ACC Championship with a 2-10 season. Several things went wrong for the Seminoles as being left out of the Playoff certainly hung over the group while the transfers didn't gel together with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei struggled significantly.
While the team just wasn't as talented as they were in 2023, the Seminoles were certainly affected by other factors. On Wednesday at ACC Media Days, Mike Norvell called out the fact that his 2024 team wasn't nearly as tight of a group as a coach would hope.
Norvell revealed that last year his team had to do plenty of "forced team building activities" which hasn't been the case heading into this season. The lack of a bond between the team also points to a lack of leadership as no one in the locker room brought the team together to overcome the adversity.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Mike Norvell wants a team full of leaders and at ACC Media Days, he told the media that he feels he has it with this group.
"I don't want a team full of sidekicks. I want guys that are willing to grasp it, hold it, push it and go be it. That's what I'm seeing with this team."Mike Norvell
It's undeniable that a clear leader is emerging in Tallahassee in transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Whether Castellanos sounds crazy or not, the constant talk about how the Seminoles are going to beat Alabama is bringing the group together and a Quarterback the team can believe in is all it may take.
Mike Norvell is going to face a ton of pressure coming off of last season's disaster to turn this ship around. It'll be pivotal for the Seminoles to gel together quickly as facing off against Alabama to start the season is as daunting a challenge as it gets.