The 2025 football season for the Florida State Seminoles has been an emotional roller coaster for fans. From the highest of highs with their win against Alabama, to the lowest of lows with their loss to Stanford, fans are wondering whether the blame should be placed on the players or the coaching staff. It has been a particularly heated point of discussion on whether head coach Mike Norvell should be fired.
The Noles suffered a three-game losing streak early on and have been inconsistent this season. Combined with Norvell’s 2-10 track record in 2024, debates have sprung up surrounding whether or not he should remain the head coach.
Florida State hired Norvell Dec. 8, 2019, coming from the University of Memphis, where he had a record of 38-16 and a conference championship in 2019. After a rough two seasons, Norvell was finally able to bring a winning culture to Tallahassee in 2022 with star quarterback Jordan Travis at the helm. They finished 10-3 and won the Cheez-It Bowl versus Oklahoma and placed 11th. The following 2023 season was historic, as FSU would finish the regular season 13-0 and win the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). However, after a controversial snub from the college football playoff, FSU was destroyed by Georgia in the Orange Bowl, finishing 13-1 and placing sixth in the AP poll.
Alongside two top 15 finishes and one top 10 appearance, Norvell has also had experience with numerous NFL talent. 29 players from Norvell’s tenure as head coach were drafted, with some notable names being Jordan Travis to the New York Jets, Keon Coleman to the Buffalo Bills and Jared Verse to the Los Angeles Rams. FSU has shown support for him, with their win against Virginia Tech possibly saving Norvell’s job, as it gave him more wins than last year. If he were to be fired now, there would be a buyout of $55 to $59 million, which is a significant financial barrier.
While there have been many positives from Norvell’s tenure, there have also been issues. For example, Norvell’s first season was a historically bad 3-6 season. While the COVID-19 virus impacted college football as a whole that season, it still does not excuse the fact that it was the Noles’ third-worst season in program history and their worst since 1974. The following year was a two-win improvement to 5-7. However, they lost to Jacksonville State, a former Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program, which was FSU’s first loss to an FCS program ever. While both 2022 and 2023 were solid seasons, 2024 was arguably the worst season in the school’s history due to FSU finishing 2-10. Not only was it their worst record in nearly 50 years, but they were 1-7 in conference play, which was the worst in program history. Furthermore, FSU lost to Duke and was ranked 10th in the poll during the preseason.
The 2025 season has seen some improvement. However, there have been major losses, such as the one against Pittsburgh, which was their first loss as a ranked FSU team versus Pittsburgh since 1981, along with the loss to Stanford, which has not had a winning season since 2020.
Norvell’s tenure in Tallahassee has “had its ups and downs but [has been] overall mediocre,” junior Kade McLeod said.
With all of the feedback from fans and the media, Norvell’s job security is not in a good position following the loss to Clemson this past weekend. The common theme amongst fans has been frustration. Despite the loss to Stanford, FSU still supports Norvell, as he will finish out the 2025 season. Norvell’s time in Tallahassee could be over. After the win against Alabama, the expectations of the program skyrocketed, and what has transpired following that win could be best described as a disappointment. Along with the Noles finishing 5-7 this season, it is time to make a change to the head coach of Florida State.
