After a miserable 2024 season where the Seminoles went 2-10, the hope was that Mike Norvell would turn things around, and it would just go down as a bizarre lost season. After starting 3-0, the season then fell apart as the team finished the year at just 5-7 marking another disaster year for a program with high expectations.
Despite the season being another mess, Florida State made the decision to run it back with Mike Norvell in part because his buyout is way too expensive to pay. While Florida State made the financially smart decision, we saw programs like LSU and Penn State cough up massive sums when it was clear they weren't going to win under their current coach.
The Transfer Portal is already showing Florida State made a mistake
While the Transfer Portal doesn't open until January 2nd, the Florida State Seminoles are already seeing an exodus of players they were planning on relying on next season. The NFL Draft will take away the likes of Tommy Castellanos, Darrell Jackson Jr, and Duce Robinson dealing a blow to the roster.
Along with losing Jackson to the NFL, the defensive line will lose James Williams, LaJesse Harrold, Jayson Jenkins, Tyeland Coleman, Jaden Jones, and Jamorie Flagg to the Transfer Portal. While most of the losses are depth pieces, the massive amount of turnover is once again far too much to try and replace.
One of the biggest recruiting wins appeared to be landing Jayvan Boggs who was able to start for the Seminoles to start the season as a True Freshman. Boggs wasn't used nearly enough as an exciting young weapon, and now he'll be looking for a new start.
Mike Norvell made the puzzling decision to fire defensive backs coach Pat Surtain Sr who was from from the problem in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are paying a massive price for that decision as the best defensive backs on the roster Ashlynd Barker, Ja'Bril Rawls, and Edwin Joseph will all lose.
The rushing attack wasn't nearly good enough this season, but you never want to see an entire room decimated by transfers. Instead, the Seminoles will lose Gavin Sawchuk, Kam Davis, and Jaylin Lucas all to the Transfer Portal.
Nearly every position room on the roster is losing a key piece who was a plan for the 2026 season and beyond. As players leave Florida State at an alarming rate, the roster is only going to have more holes to fill. Given how rocky Florida State has fared in the Transfer Portal as of late, it's almost impossible to believe that Norvell is suddenly going to flip the roster.
Given that everyone knows how rocky things have been and that Mike Norvell is on the hot seat, it's hard to imagine that the Seminoles are going to fare well in the Transfer Portal. Top transfers will likely look to more promising situations rather than risking joining a sinking ship.
The next few weeks will end up determining Mike Norvell's fate, but it's almost impossible to believe that he's going to be able to turn it around.