Mike Norvell Sets Clear Expectations For Florida State Players After Disappointing 2024 Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated May 23, 2025 11:27 AM ET

The 2024 college football season was a disappointing year for the Florida State Seminoles, who finished with a record of 2-10.

This marked their worst season since 1974, following two strong performances in the previous years, where they went 10-3 and 13-1. The 2023 season was particularly notable as it ended with an ACC championship, and the Seminoles felt they were snubbed from the playoff after starting 13-0 but losing their star quarterback, Jordan Travis.

Now, the Seminoles are looking to rebound and prove that the struggles of 2024 were an anomaly. Head coach Mike Norvell recently spoke with On3 about the upcoming season, discussing roster changes and the addition of players through the transfer portal.

When asked about his confidence in this new class from the portal and their potential to win games in the fall, Norvell provided an honest response.

"We got to go do it," Norvell said. "And everybody’s going to talk about feeling good about where they are, but I really do think this is a group that’s done the things up to this point that we needed to do. Obviously, we have work in front of us. But I’m excited."

Norvell also discussed the evaluation process for players. He mentioned that assessing high school athletes and those in the transfer portal is fundamentally the same. According to him, it is essential to effectively build a team that is cohesive in terms of talent, personalities and mindset. However, the success of this approach is still uncertain.

This offseason, Florida State secured the No. 6 transfer portal class. Additionally, the team made two significant additions: offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who previously served as head coach at UCF, and former Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos.

During his two seasons as a starter at Boston College, Castellanos threw for 3,689 yards and 33 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,427 yards and 15 touchdowns. He started his collegiate career at UCF under Malzahn.

Florida State will open the season against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: