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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JULY 15: Head coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles speaks during the ACC Kickoff media days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown on July 15, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mike Norvell may not get much credit for what he’s done for the Florida State football program the last two seasons.
But he does seem to solidly know where he stands entering the 2026 season.
With the Seminoles 7-17 over the last two seasons since being snubbed from the 2023 College Football Playoff, exterior frustration has reached peak levels entering Norvell’s seventh season leading the program.
Any path going forward for Norvell in Tallahassee, which feels increasingly less likely, will be through sudden and significant improvement.
Unfortunately for him, he has to get through the talking season that is college football media days and preseason camp before his team will have that chance to show its growth on the field.
He demonstrated a strong understanding of that situation when addressing media members at ACC Kickoff on Wednesday in Charlotte.
“In reality, the words don’t matter, it’s about the action,“ Norvell said at the podium. “That’s our focus. I could stand up here, you could say a lot of things, but it’s still about what’s going to show up. That’s what I believe in.”
Norvell’s tenure in Tallahassee has been like one huge roller-coaster hill. Starting from the ground, building up to quite a peak — 19 straight wins and a 13-0 2023 season with an ACC championship — but then a precipitous drop-off which leaves everyone involved feeling like there’s a pit in their stomach.
“As I said, I know what it looks like because we’ve done it. I know the steps. I know what we need to do to get back to that level. I’m very confident what’s it’s going to be,” Norvell said. “ … As we came into the program six years ago, there were some challenges that we faced. Those first two years, for all the different circumstances that showed up, we stayed focused on our path and the growth, the improvement, making sure we were ready for the moment. We had players that bought into that.
“As you get into ’22, ’23 season, a couple of the best stretches that Florida State has had, 19 straight wins, being able to put ourselves in that position was something that had to be worked for. It wasn’t just because we talked about it; it was about what was done.”
Whether you thought Norvell deserved a seventh season at FSU or not, he’s getting it. It’s not a surprise that his message is going to be that he’s been able to build the program up before. Now, 2026 becomes the season where we figure out if this Norvell tenure is a full-circuit roller coaster with multiple hills, loops and corkscrews or if it’s more of a shuttle loop, launched up to a high height before plummeting right back down the same path to the bottom for the next coach to try and fix.
One can see a similarity between the improvement Norvell’s teams made from 2020 (three wins) and 2024 (two wins) to 2021 (five wins) and 2025 (five wins). But it’s fair to wonder if it’ll be harder to rebuild the foundation than it was the first time. And it’s even more of a question if Norvell has been able to stay caught up to the modern game after building his initial FSU success off being one of the first coaches to fully embrace and maximize the transfer portal.
“The last two years as college football has changed, continuing to evolve, we have to be better. This past season we showed glimpses of playing at a very high level. Big wins, some great moments, but also had some disappointing results in some close games and opportunities we did not capitalize on,” Norvell said. “It’s not about me giving a great speech, trying to say things. It’s about showing up and being willing to do. That’s the focus of this coaching, this football team, that’s my focus, is pouring everything I have into them, into this staff, into the opportunity we have in the ’26 season.”
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