The past two seasons for Mike Norvell have seen him go from one of the most promising young coaches to landing on the hottest seat in the Country. After being snubbed from the College Football Playoff in 2023, the Seminoles have gone just 5-17 with a 3-13 record in conference play. The 2026 season will likely determine whether Norvell is the coach for the future or if the Seminoles need to move on.
While Florida State has been a mess on the field, there's also been a clear disconnect off the field for the program. Constantly bringing in a ton of players via the Transfer Portal makes it hard to build a culture, and it's clear that the culture in Tallahassee has been fractured.
Tony White calls out the 2025 Noles for off-field drama
On Monday, Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White spoke about the defense this year compared to last season, putting the unit we saw last season on blast for a lack of respect for the program.
"You don’t have all the off-the-field bullcrap and the guys that don’t respect this logo and school and what Coach (Mike Norvell) provides and what FSU provides."Tony White
What Tony White is calling out is the reason we've seen the Seminoles fall from grace over the past two seasons. The Seminoles have looked like a team that's quit on the program the moment times got tough which speaks to the nature of some players in this NIL and Revenue Sharing era where looking out for yourself has become a priority.
The key to turning things around in 2026 is going to be getting a better attitude out of the players the Noles have coming in. The team won't instantly return to the College Football Playoff conversation, but taking a step in the right direction would be progress.