Why nothing will change at Florida State under Mike Norvell

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell is going to get one more shot. On Sunday, the Seminoles announced that they will retain Norvell for the 2026 season.

This, even though FSU is coming off a 21-11 loss to NC State, and they're 5-6 on the season. 

Norvell is now 7-16 and 3-13 in ACC play over the past two years, and the Seminoles have not won a single game on the road. It's been a tough stretch, to say the least, but the leadership at Florida State still believes in Norvell. Granted, they do believe changes need to be made.

Andrea Adelson of ESPN is reporting that those changes include pouring more resources into recruiting and roster development.

"The driving motivation behind this is to make certain that we are doing everything properly to obtain and retain elite players, add critical pieces, and sustain long-term success," Norvell said in a statement. "I love Florida State, and I am fully committed to this program, and our shared goals."

That sounds good in theory, but frankly, nothing is going to change at Florida State as long as Norvell is the head coach.

If we were talking about a mid-tier program deciding to invest in the football program, that would be one thing. This is Florida State we're talking about, though. The Seminoles have one of the biggest brands in sports, let alone in college football, and it's not like recruiting has been an issue for Norvell in the past.

His 2026 recruiting class is ranked No. 16 in the country. His 2026 class was ranked No. 18. His 2024 class was ranked No. 11.

Mike Norvell is the problem at Florida State 

Norvell has brought talent into Tallahassee. That hasn't been the problem. The problem has been that outside of the 2023 season, which saw FSU go 13-0 and win the ACC, Norvell has largely been underwhelming as a head coach.

He fired offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and receivers coach Ron Dugan in 2024. He brought in Gus Malzahn on offense and Tony White to run the defense.

Clearly, Atkins and Fuller weren't the only problems, because it's not like things have gotten any better for FSU this season. Ultimately, there has been one consistent in Tallahassee since 2020, and that has been Norvell.

It's not a personnel problem. It's a coaching problem. With that in mind, why should FSU expect anything to change in 2026? Norvell is 38-33 with only two winning seasons as head coach at FSU.