Florida State’s financial gap is back in the spotlight as the Seminoles prepare for Alabama, but Mike Norvell isn’t interested in letting the numbers define the matchup.
The Athletic published a Wednesday report breaking down budget figures for 68 college football programs, with top roster spending estimated in the $45 million to $55 million range. Schools including Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Miami, Notre Dame and Ole Miss were all said to be hovering around some part of that territory. A similar look at the topic had already surfaced in an August report from CBSSports.com.
Florida State was listed in The Athletic’s report at $23 million to $30 million. The outlet also noted that the figures come with a built-in margin of disagreement, since different people connected to the same programs can describe spending in different ways.
Financial figures shared with Noles247 put FSU’s calendar-year total compensation for football at $29.8 million. That total includes revenue sharing, third-party NIL, financial aid and MMR.
Asked Wednesday about the report and the contrast with Alabama, which was listed at an estimated $38 million to $42 million, Norvell acknowledged the reality of the sport without confirming FSU’s specific number.
"It's a different age in college athletics. There are some wide disparities in some cases," Norvell said, while not confirming the figure published as it pertains to FSU.
He also pointed to the way player value plays out unevenly from school to school.
"Everybody has somebody valued as a 1, and what that school is able or capable of paying the 1, or what they're capable of paying the 3," he added. "That's where it's kind of a challenge as working through some of the different dynamics."
Norvell did say the program has support behind its pursuit of players, while stressing that Florida State wants to keep moving toward more alignment and improvement. That comes in the wake of Monday’s firing of Director of Athletics Michael Alford.
"There's a great, continued push for us here moving forward in all things that we're doing, and grateful for every bit of support that we have," he said.
Still, his final point was the one that mattered most to him: the money doesn’t make the tackle, throw the pass or win the snap.
"But at the end of the day, when you step on the field, it's about going to play the game. And we've got some really good football players. It's the guys that I have a great deal of belief in, and what they do and how they do it and it's time to go put that on display come Saturday," Norvell said.
The report placed Florida State’s budget behind Miami, Alabama, Florida and Clemson among the opponents on its schedule this season. Within the ACC, FSU was listed as spending the fourth-most, behind Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech, which was said to be in a range close to Florida State’s.
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