But they\u2019re also flawed enough to lose to one of the worst teams in the Power 4, Stanford, in their last game for their fourth consecutive defeat. And now a program that started 13-0 two years ago under Mike Norvell enters Saturday\u2019s game against Wake Forest with nine consecutive ACC losses dating back to last year and wins in just five of its past 20 games overall.<\/p>\n
The continued struggles have put Norvell\u2019s job in jeopardy and left former players in disbelief.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something not connecting,\u201d said Karlos Williams, one of the key figures of FSU\u2019s 2013 national championship run.<\/p>\n
But what? And why?<\/p>\n
After conversations with almost a dozen people connected to the program, some of whom were granted anonymity to provide candid responses, the answer comes back to the fatal flaw that doomed last year\u2019s team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has everything to do with recruiting,\u201d said a person involved with FSU\u2019s roster management.<\/p>\n
The recruiting department has turned over at least 11 staffers since the 2023 blowout Orange Bowl loss to Georgia after the Seminoles were left out of the final four-team Playoff. The results remain rough for a program with national championship aspirations:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Norvell has signed five of Florida State\u2019s six worst recruiting classes of the modern era, according to the 247Sports Composite. None have finished higher than 12th.<\/p>\n
\u2022 His six classes have included only 10 players ranked among that year\u2019s top 100 national recruits. In the six classes before his arrival, Willie Taggart and Jimbo Fisher combined to sign 32.<\/p>\n
\u2022 FSU has signed only one linebacker (Blake Nichelson) who was ranked among the top 50 at his position. Linebacker remains arguably the defense\u2019s weakest spot.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Norvell has lost his top-ranked commit in five consecutive classes, including Georgia starting defensive back KJ Bolden. Projected first-round pick Keldric Faulk got away, too, flipping to Auburn, and Norvell earned a late visit from superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith but couldn\u2019t keep him from signing with Ohio State.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lose out on every single big recruit,\u201d said Jacobbi McDaniel, a defensive lineman on the 2013 title team. \u201cHow is that possible? You\u2019re in Year (6). This is your prime.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2233239758-scaled.jpg\")
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\n Tommy Castellanos and FSU beat Alabama on Aug. 30, but now the Seminoles are 3-4 and the Crimson Tide are ranked No. 4. (Butch Dill \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Fallow recruiting classes forced the Seminoles to lean into the transfer portal; three-fourths of their starts (115 of 154) are from transfers. Given Norvell\u2019s previous success in the portal \u2014 his 2023 ACC champions had transfer stars like Jared Verse and Trey Benson \u2014 that\u2019s not inherently bad. But the \u201923 team was full of multiyear portal pickups (like Verse, Benson and Jordan Travis). This one isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
In the 2023 game against Miami, the Seminoles\u2019 starters combined for 40 previous seasons of FSU experience. Only seven were new to the program. In FSU\u2019s loss to Miami earlier this month, the Seminoles\u2019 starters had only 16 seasons of FSU experience. Thirteen were newcomers, including four on the offensive line.<\/p>\n
The lack of continuity on the roster and on the staff (Norvell replaced both coordinators this offseason with Gus Malzahn on offense and Tony White on defense) can have on-field effects. Norvell and White both said players were hesitant at times in the loss to Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guys they brought in were for a scheme they\u2019re not running now,\u201d said a second person involved with FSU\u2019s roster management.<\/p>\n
The turnover has also led to questions about the program\u2019s intangibles. Two former Norvell starters, Kalen DeLoach and Robert Cooper, wondered aloud on their recent podcast<\/a> why more teammates didn\u2019t rush to Castellanos\u2019 defense after he was knocked out of the Stanford game on a hit that drew a targeting penalty.<\/p>\n McDaniel said a program\u2019s foundation shows up in moments like last month\u2019s Friday night road game against a good but less talented Virginia team. FSU fell behind 14-0 and lost in double overtime. Two people involved with FSU\u2019s roster management said Norvell\u2019s messaging has stopped resonating with players as confidence wanes and losses mount.<\/p>\n Williams said he sees a team devoid of pride.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like we\u2019re the place where people get paid,\u201d said Williams, whose fake punt helped spark FSU\u2019s comeback win over Auburn for the 2013 title. \u201cI don\u2019t see it. I don\u2019t see the product of what we\u2019re paying.\u201d<\/p>\n Although player compensation figures are hard to track and verify, most agents say Florida State\u2019s budget is competitive. Its roster ranks 19th in 247Sports\u2019 Team Talent Composite<\/a>, which is based on players\u2019 recruiting ratings. Even if that\u2019s not good enough to compete for a College Football Playoff appearance, it can\u2019t justify losses to Pitt (No. 56) led by freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel in his first road start or Stanford (No. 46) as a three-score favorite.<\/p>\n FSU\u2019s problems have differed every defeat, making a fatal flaw hard to pin down: unfortunate turnover luck and shaky defense at Virginia, inferior talent against Miami, piled-up injuries and an inability to stop Heintschel against Pitt, disastrous penalties at Stanford. Regardless of the causes, the trend is concerning. From 1976-2019, FSU never lost four consecutive games; Norvell has now done so three times since taking over in 2020.<\/p>\n A program that had 41 consecutive winning records is now trying to avoid a sixth losing record in eight seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cOne loss shouldn\u2019t turn into two losses or three,\u201d one NIL agent said. \u201cBut that\u2019s what\u2019s happened here.\u201d<\/p>\n The Stanford defeat \u2014 Norvell called it \u201cbeyond disappointing\u201d afterward and \u201cunexcusable\u201d last week \u2014 changed the discussion around the coach\u2019s future. Florida State had as many penalties (13) as points while losing to an interim coach in a half-empty stadium. One of those penalties, an offside call, helped Stanford turn a field goal into a touchdown and left Norvell fuming at third-year defensive back Edwin Joseph.<\/p>\n The result was discouraging enough that athletic director Michael Alford had to put out a statement in its aftermath promising a \u201ccomprehensive assessment of the football program\u201d at season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n Please win some games and don\u2019t make us fire you. pic.twitter.com\/FKwhQw2Lfo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) October 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n A current assessment is complicated, beyond the finances of Norvell\u2019s buyout (about $55 million, or 85 percent of what\u2019s left on his contract).<\/p>\n Recruiting still isn\u2019t elite, but if Norvell keeps its No. 13 class this cycle<\/a>, it\u2019ll be his second-best ranking. A winning record remains on the table. That would have seemed respectable enough in August, given last year\u2019s performance, but that was before Florida State beat Alabama and the coaching carousel went haywire with the firings of James Franklin<\/a> and Brian Kelly<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although a 3-4 start is discouraging, all four losses were by one score. The details show a team that has not given up. After trailing Miami 28-3 entering the fourth quarter, the Seminoles scored 19 consecutive points to make it interesting. FSU trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter at Stanford and rallied behind backup quarterback Kevin Sperry before getting stuffed at the goal line on the final play of a seven-point loss.<\/p>\n \u201cI know on the outside people may be questioning or panicking, but I\u2019m not panicking because I\u2019ve seen it, and I\u2019ve been in it,\u201d said DeCalon Brooks, a former FSU linebacker under Fisher, Taggart and Norvell.<\/p>\n Norvell isn\u2019t publicly panicking, either. Despite his dejection after the Pitt and Stanford losses, he said last week that he continues to believe in himself, his players and his staff. The schedule sets up for a potential turnaround, starting with Saturday\u2019s homecoming game against 5-2 Wake Forest before a visit to fellow 3-4 disappointment Clemson<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe results are not where anybody wants them to be,\u201d Norvell said. \u201cBut I do feel and I do believe that this team will rise up and overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 The Athletic\u2019s Bruce Feldman contributed to this report.<\/p>\n