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FSU coach Mike Norvell must deliver on promise of an 'immediate, fast fix' | Jim Henry
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- FSU coach Mike Norvell must deliver on promise of an 'immediate, fast fix' | Jim Henry
Building a winning football program and maintaining that success is a deft balancing act.
Mike Norvell has demonstrated the ability to build winning programs at Memphis and Florida State. He now must exhibit the skills to maintain success at FSU.
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Elite success, that is.
Norvell can't afford to let a single blade of grass grow under his feet as he looks to fulfill his promise of an "immediate, fast fix" for an FSU football program in freefall.
Norvell's already taken quick steps in that direction, earmarking new coordinators in former UCF coach Gus Malzahn on offense and former Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White on defense.
Malzahn has Power 5 experience, beat Nick Saban and Alabama and, fingers crossed, still likes to recruit. White, who was born in Key West, also has Power 5 experience, coached against the Seminoles when he was at Syracuse four years ago and is considered a strong recruiter.
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Additional changes are coming, count on it.
Early signing day for college football teams is Wednesday, too, so there could be immediate returns and new targets for the Seminoles following the coaching news.
FSU must, must, must generate positive momentum as Norvell enters the most critical offseason of his career.
As we all know – and want to forget – the program's worst season in a half-century finally and mercifully ended Saturday night in Doak Campbell Stadium.
It was beyond depressing for Seminoles faithful to watch the Gators celebrate their 30-11 win. Especially toward the end of the game, the fandoms inside the stadium looked to be nearly evenly split and equally loud.
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UF also briefly planted a Gators flag on the Seminoles logo at midfield following the game, igniting a scuffle between the teams.
Norvell's reaction drew admiration from the fanbase when he confronted UF coach Bill Napier and then snatched the flag and threw it down.
"I told him what I thought," Norvell said, while Napier later apologized and called the flag-planting "embarrassing."
But the viral spotlight quickly shifted to a brutal reality with the Gators smoking victory cigars while anyone associated with FSU smoldered with indignation over a numbing night, weeks and months.
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In fact, the pregame in Dublin may be remembered as the season's highlight.
Norvell described Saturday's game as "a disappointing ending to an awful season. It's the best way I can put it." Norvell, 33-27 in five seasons at FSU, apologized for the umpteenth time and forcefully promised changes.
For many, there's no need to waste time on an exhaustive post-mortem of the 2024 season. It has gone down as the first with double-digit losses since 1974 – two years before Bobby Bowden arrived. It's still inexplicable to me how badly the Seminoles played at times after last year's 13-0 regular season.
Nov 30, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Luke Kromenhoek (14) before a game against the Florida Gators at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
Good riddance. One, two, three ... flush.
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The standard for FSU football is to compete annually for championships. And now's the time for everyone who loves FSU to come together to make this right, even as boosters, alumni and fans continue to pony up big bucks to help secure seats and fund teams and athletics.
There are so many important moving parts, too.
Ongoing renovations to Doak Campbell Stadium and construction of the long-planned football center are on track for completion before the start of next season.
There's the NCAA vs. House Settlement, which will require athletic departments to share upwards of $20.5 million of revenue with its athletes starting next year.
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FSU continues to operate with NIL collective the Battles End, which helps athletes negotiate market-value compensation opportunities.
And the transfer portal is, well, the transfer portal. And here's hoping this free agency approach will soon be accompanied by clearer rules and restrictions. As FSU can clearly attest, teams have gone from bad to good overnight or from good to wretched.
Norvell repeated with conviction when he addressed the transfer portal, recruiting and his ability to retain players following the UF game. He reflected on FSU's climb (and plunge) under his watch, saying he will identify players who want to "be the spark," stand up and help guide the team through this tumultuous time.
"That's how you become legendary in a place," he said.
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At the moment, however, FSU fans will settle for players who play hard and with a winning passion.
Email Tallahassee Democrat Sports Editor Jim Henry at jjhenry@tallahassee.com .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State football Coach Mike Norvell must deliver on 'fast fix'
