FSU is committed to helping coach Norvell 'strongly rebound' while assessing the program, AD says

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Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said Monday he is “fully committed” to helping coach Mike Norvell and his team “strongly rebound in the coming weeks.”

But Alford also noted that “a comprehensive assessment of the football program" will be completed at the end of the season.

Alford's statement came two days after a 20-13 loss at Stanford in which Norvell got into a heated exchange with defensive back Edwin Joseph on the sideline. The two had to be separated.

Florida State (3-4, 0-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) has dropped four consecutive games after starting the season 3-0. Shocking then-No. 8 Alabama in the opener looked like a turning point for Norvell after last year’s 2-10 debacle.

But it now appears to be among the biggest flukes in the college football season, with the Crimson Tide winning every game since and the Seminoles slumping to the bottom of the ACC for the second consecutive year.

“Florida State football benefits from unmatched passionate support from the entire FSU family, and the commitment to our football program is unwavering," Alford said. "We rightfully have high expectations in everything we do to represent Florida State in the manner that built our reputation as one of college football’s best programs, cultivating an extraordinary group of supporters nationally and globally.

“We embrace those expectations while also sharing the deep disappointment when results on the field are short of that standard.”

The Seminoles are off this week before hosting Wake Forest on Nov. 1.

Norvell's contract runs through 2031 and includes a buyout that equates to 85% of the deal's remaining value. It would cost Florida State more than $54 million to fire Norvell right now.

Norvell is 36-31 with the Seminoles, including 20-24 in conference play. FSU has dropped 11 of 12 in the ACC since winning the league with dynamic quarterback Jordan Travis in 2023. The Seminoles were notably snubbed for the College Football Playoff that season after Travis’ season-ending leg injury.

“I’m pouring everything I have into this university with every bit of work, the focus, the absolute edge and urgency to get this better,” Norvell said after the Stanford loss. “At the end of the day, it’s about the results, and we’ve come up short and not done anywhere a good enough job in being able to finish games and to do things and for it to look the way that I want it to look.”

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