When a head coach receives a public vote of confidence from his employer, it’s typically a bad omen.
Florida State Seminoles coach Mike Norvell doesn’t appear to be immune from that superstition heading into FSU’s matchup against Wake Forest next Saturday.
After a season-opening upset of No. 4 Alabama, Florida State won its next two games before dropping its last four to Virginia, Miami, Pittsburgh, and Stanford. The calls for Norvell to be fired grew louder with each defeat, prompting athletic director Michael Alford to issue a statement and publicly affirm the school’s commitment to the polarizing head coach.
But according to On3’s Pete Nakos, despite Alford’s recent comments, the school could potentially move on from Norvell sooner than the end of the season, potentially as early as next week if the Seminoles fall to 3-5 after their matchup with Wake Forest on Nov. 1.
“The noise was loud last Sunday to make a move, but athletic director Michael Alford released a statement Monday announcing a ‘comprehensive assessment’ would be held on the state of the program following the season,” Nakos wrote. “Sources have told On3 that a loss to Wake Forest on Saturday at Doak Campbell could speed up the timeline [to potentially fire him]. The Demon Deacons are 5-2.”
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In five-plus seasons, the 44-year-old has a 36-31 record with just two winning seasons. After a 13-1 run in 2023, Norvell has won just five of his next 19 games leading into this season.
Norvell recently acknowledged that he knows he’s not living up to the standard Florida State expects, and it’s likely he knows another loss or two could spell the end of his time in Tallahassee.
“The team, the staff, we’re working extremely hard to get it right. We are going to get it right,” Norvell said, via ESPN. “… I know we have to win games. I take great ownership in our results. It’s not been good enough.
“I hate it for Michael. I hate it for our players. I hate it for the program. I hate it for everybody. That’s on me and this staff and this football team to get that right. We’re going to get it fixed, and we’re going to get better.”
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