Mike Norvell maintains 'elite level' confidence in FSU football, promises championship future
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Mike Norvell has no doubts about his future with Florida State football and the success he feels the program can achieve.
The Seminoles (4-5, 1-5 ACC) are 6-15 since the start of the 2024 season and are coming off a fifth loss in six games, losing 24-10 at Clemson last Saturday, Nov. 8.
Despite calls for him to be fired and a growing restlessness in the fanbase, Norvell is confident about the direction of the program and the success he still believes the team can have.
“I’ve got an elite level of confidence for what’s ahead for this program. I believe in it. I believe in the guys,” Norvell said in a defiant tone.
“When I look at our roster, I see the guys. As I mentioned earlier, we’ve won championships here. We’ve done that. To be a part of a staff that fixed it from when we first got in here to achieve that at an elite level as one of the best times that this program has seen through a stretch of 19 straight games.
“I mean — you can find all the reasons, well, this was close or that. That’s good, but we did it. We lifted a trophy. We were able to have success. ’24 was an absolute — it was a complete failure. And like I said, there were reasons of things of why we got to that point. We lived it. We did it. We made changes. This year, I think we are improved. I mean, when you look on both sides of the ball, I think we have taken positive steps, but there’s been some transitional elements of it that we needed to be better.”
Mike Norvell confident because he ‘fixed it once’ before
Norvell is in his sixth season leading the Seminoles with a 37-32 overall record. He has come under fire after a dismal 2-10 season in 2024 and sitting below .500 in 2025 after a 3-0 start to the year, which featured a win over an Alabama team now ranked fourth in the nation.
While his job remains safe for the time being, there is an inconsistency with Norvell’s team that has plagued them. The Seminoles haven’t won on the road since a win over Florida in 2023, and all three road losses this season have featured a myriad of penalties, mental errors and missed opportunities that are often associated with inconsistent teams.
“Fixed it once. We’re going to fix it again. We’re in the process of that fix now. What we’ve done is not to the standard of Florida State this year. I understand that,” Norvell said. “I fully am aware that we’ve got to win the close games.”
With three games left, including a clash with Virginia Tech this weekend, and two wins needed to attain bowl eligibility, Norvell has faith in his Seminoles program to finish the season well and set up the team for success next season.
“We haven’t been good enough across the board. And it’s coaches, players, everybody involved, we haven’t been good enough where we are to get the job done to the level we wanted this season,” Norvell said. “We still have three regular-season games left. I’m fully expecting to see our team go ascend and be better and to go get the job done in these opportunities we have, but I’ve got a lot of confidence in where the program is heading.”
Mike Norvell has a winning pedigree
Norvell feels the team is headed to a championship-filled future.
He doubled down on his belief that he can win at FSU, pointing to his success from 2022-23, which featured a Cheez-It bowl win and an ACC title in 2023, while winning 19 games in a row.
In his four years at Memphis, Norvell went 38-15, won the 2019 American Athletic Conference (AAC) title, and played in the Cotton Bowl, a 53-39 loss to Penn State. He left Memphis with a 71.7 winning percentage, the highest in program history. He’s been part of title-winning teams in his coaching stops at Tulsa and Arizona State, all of which give him confidence that he can turn around a Seminoles team in a tailspin.
While there is doubt in the fan bases and among some boosters, Norvell was firm in his belief that he will deliver another championship to FSU.
That relies on him surviving the season and entering 2026 as the program’s head coach for a seventh year. He is confident that will be the case despite the current struggles, and while time will be the only telling factor in that statement, Novell believes he can still deliver winning football.
“The job I’m going to show up and do is I’m going to pour everything I have in this team with a championship expectation for us to grow and be better. Why I can say that? I’ve actually won a championship. I’ve done that. We’re going to do it again. We’re going to do it here. That might piss people off. So be it. They’ll be celebrating when we are hoisting a trophy,” Norvell said.
“It will be the belief I see from our players, the belief I see from our coaches, the talent that I know our players have and the guys that are coming to be a part of this. I’ve got elite-level confidence for what’s ahead of us. I know not everybody wants to hear that. I don’t care.
“I know what it’s going to be. And I’m grateful for the opportunity that I have. I also understand that it has not been good enough. And the results, they matter. But we’re going to take that step and we’re going to get the job done.”
How to watch FSU football vs. Virginia Tech
- When: Saturday, Nov. 15 / 7 p.m.
- Where: Doak Campbell Stadium / Tallahassee, Florida
- Watch: ACC Network
FSU schedule 2025
Here is Florida State’s schedule and results. All times Eastern.
- Aug. 30: vs Alabama | W 31-17
- Sept. 6: vs East Texas A&M | W 77-3
- Sept. 13: Bye
- Sept. 20: vs Kent State | W 66-10
- Sept. 26: at Virginia* | L 46-38 (2OT)
- Oct. 4: vs Miami* | L 28-22
- Oct. 11: vs Pittsburgh* | L 34-31
- Oct. 18: at Stanford* | L 20-13
- Oct. 25: Bye
- Nov. 1: vs Wake Forest* | W 42-7
- Nov. 8: at Clemson* | L 24-10
- Nov. 15: vs Virginia Tech* | TBA
- Nov. 21: at NC State* | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo
- Nov. 29: at Florida | TBA
- Record: 4-5 (1-5 in ACC)
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Mike Norvell still believes championships are in FSU football’s future
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