Florida State is keeping coach Mike Norvell for at least another season.
With support from school administrators, Norvell has pledged to make “fundamental changes” to meet the program’s championship standard.
“Coach Norvell embraces our support in that process and agrees that success must be achieved,” school president Dr. Richard McCullough said Sunday in a statement. “He continues to demonstrate an unwavering belief in this program’s future, and so do we.”
McCullough said the decision “reflects a unified commitment to competing in the rapidly evolving landscape of college football, while maintaining continuity within the program.”
Florida State (5-6, 2-6 ACC) has lost 13 of its last 16 conference games, including a 21-11 disappointment at NC State on Friday that dropped Norvell’s record to 7-17 since winning the ACC in 2023. It’s been a sudden slide for a guy who deftly worked the transfer portal early in his six-year tenure before other programs caught up but repeatedly failed to develop talent or find a quarterback.
Norvell took a pay cut and retooled his staff after last year’s 2-10 debacle, adding Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and Tony White as defensive coordinator. The moves looked impressive when the Seminoles upset then-No. 8 Alabama in the season opener.
But FSU has struggled since, and Norvell missed out on consecutive portal quarterbacks in DJ Uiagalelei and Thomas Castellanos.
The Seminoles would have owed Norvell a buyout of nearly $54 million had they fired him, and they would have entered a crowded coaching search that appears to have limited options and high prices.
“This program has been built on belief, sacrifice and putting the team first,” Norvell said in a statement. “That set of values has always guided my actions, and those of our players. 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.
“I love Florida State, and I am fully committed to this program, and our shared goals.”
Norvell is 38-33 with the Seminoles, including 22-26 in conference play.
FSU won the league with dynamic quarterback Jordan Travis and future first-round NFL draft pick Jared Verse in 2023. The Seminoles were notably snubbed for the College Football Playoff that season after Travis’ season-ending leg injury.
It was a turning point for the program.
“We will address performance deficiencies in the program,” FSU Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins said. “These deficiencies may include structural changes to the very large and complex program FSU football has become, and these areas are where we will focus and invest.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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