Florida State’s rough start has brought plenty of outside chatter, but Mike Norvell isn’t letting it steer the conversation inside the program.
After the Seminoles fell 50-36 at Alabama on Saturday, dropping to 1-2 and extending their road-game skid to 10, Norvell pushed back on the idea that the noise around his team should matter. With questions about his future lingering after the dismissal of athletic director Michael Alford, the seventh-year coach said the only thing that counts is what Florida State does next.
“There’s been noise around the program for the last couple of years,” Norvell said. “We're working to make sure that we stay focused on the things that we can control to be able to go and obviously be the best we can be, and that's what I absolutely care about seeing.”
The loss in Tuscaloosa was Florida State’s second straight defeat to a ranked opponent, and Norvell said the locker room felt the weight of it. Even so, he pointed to the way the team has handled the backlash as a sign that the Seminoles are still pulling in the right direction.
“For a 60-minute game, just going to put that on display, and in that locker room is a lot of disappointed young men, staff and everybody involved,” Norvell said. “But it's still our choice and the things that we're willing to give and willing to invest. I've watched this team continue to pour into each other with noise around it, with all the stuff.”
Norvell also framed the moment as bigger than football. In his view, the way players handle criticism now is part of a lesson they can carry long after their careers end.
“People are going to say things about you. If you allow that to change who you are, change how you work, change the things that you are doing to be the best that you can, then it's not real,” Norvell said.
“I believe in this team. I believe in who we are.
I believe in what we can do, what we can accomplish. This team in this moment, that's my focus.”
He rejected the idea that Florida State’s identity should be reduced to the record alone. To Norvell, the bigger issue is whether the team keeps building through the adversity instead of folding under it.
“Winning seasons throughout my coaching career and all the things, and the losing season - none of that affects this team,” Norvell said. “This team has to worry about ourselves.
“We've shown capability. We've got to show that we can go take the step against good opponents in challenging situations and get the job done. That's what we're going to focus on, but I've not seen any pullback from this team.”
Despite the results, Norvell said he believes the Seminoles are moving forward. He called the Alabama game the team’s most complete performance so far, even though it still ended in defeat.
“I think this team is growing,” Norvell said. “I think that we'll see the best version of them as they continue to grow.
“But unfortunately, results have not been good enough. You're down to lose two games, and I believe we're capable of winning both, so obviously you're very disappointed.”
The schedule won’t give Florida State much breathing room. The Seminoles have already dealt with two ranked opponents and are staring down more difficult tests as ACC play ramps up in October. Norvell’s answer is to stay locked in on the day in front of them.
“That’s the approach. That's the mindset, and that's going to be today.
That's going to be tomorrow. It's going to be as long as I get to be on this earth,” Norvell said.
“I’m going to be focused on that as a husband, as a father, as a coach, as a co-worker. That's how I'm going to live, and that's how I'm going to help guide and encourage those that I get to be around.”
Florida State now turns to Central Arkansas as it tries to steady itself after a difficult opening stretch that has already included a win over New Mexico State, a loss to SMU, and the defeat at Alabama. Norvell’s message remains the same: ignore the noise, keep improving, and let the response define the season.
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Mike Norvell's Future Suddenly Carries A Price FSU Fans Will Hate
Mike Norvells tenure at Florida State has reached a place nobody in Tallahassee expected when he signed that massive extension last year. He is in his seventh season with the Seminoles and carries a 39-35 record, while the deal he put pen to paper on runs through 2031 and pays in the neighborhood of $10 million to $11 million annually. The timing of the conversation around his future is made even trickier by the fact that Florida State has already moved on from athletic director Michael Alford, the man who signed off on the extension.
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