Former Florida Gators Head Coach Has High Praise For FSU Football, Mike Norvell

The former Gator has taken note of the turnaround in Tallahassee.

Dec 3, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; FOX Sports analyst Urban Meyer before the Big Ten Championship between the Michigan Wolverines and the Purdue Boilermakers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 season is just one day away from kicking off with the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles starting the show in one of the biggest matchups on television this Saturday. Both the 'Noles and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets flew across the pond to Dublin, Ireland to go head-to-head in ACC play for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic set to take place at noon on August 24.

The Seminoles are coming off of a remarkable 13-1* season and ACC Championship which saw 13 players off the 2023 squad extend their careers to the NFL. This year, FSU has reloaded and is expected to retain its prowess at the top of the ACC and crack the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2014.

It's not uncommon for a former rival head coach to share his thoughts on Florida State's position. In the '90s, Florida State, the University of Florida, and the University of Miami battled for supremacy in college football, creating many instant classics and football lore.

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Recently, three-time national champion head coach and sports commentator, Urban Meyer, shared his prediction for how the 2024 Seminoles will fare under head coach Mike Norvell on his podcast, co-hosted by Mark Ingram and Rob Stone. Surprisingly, Meyer offered a perspective different from what you might expect from a former Gator.

"You know, I love Florida State. I think they lost a lot, but the first thing that I always look at when I evaluate teams is their schedule," Meyer said of FSU's schedule. "I think it is somewhat manageable. I know it's tough, but they've got Clemson at home, at Miami, and at Notre Dame."

.@Coach_Norvell deserves ALL the praise for his remarkable turnaround at @FSUFootball 👏 @NHTSAgov pic.twitter.com/zN5x6Qtk0a

— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) August 22, 2024

Florida State has the No. 12 toughest schedule according to College Football Network which features matchups against Notre Dame, Clemson, Miami, and Meyer's Florida Gators. But his praise didn't stop there.

"I think Mike Norvell is one of the most underrated coaches. Rob and Mark, they were awful in 2020; they were 3-6, but I mean bad awful," Meyer continued. "A lot of issues in the locker room, and I'm an old Gator, so I looked at that and said, 'How did Florida State get so bad?' But look at what this coach has done. He went 3-6, 5-7, they won 10 games, and last year went undefeated."

If you have followed FSU over the past 10 years you know the decline that he is referring to. From the Jimbo Fisher era descent to the Willie Taggart experiment, it took a change of guard with the program's top brass to, first hire Norvell, and second, devote the resources needed to prop up and dust off the iconic brand of FSU Football.

The Seminoles start the season at No. 10 and the self-proclaimed 'old gator' beleives that FSU will remain in the upper echelon in 2024.

"So I really think he's one of the top coaches in America," Meyer said of Norvell. "I think they'll be there standing in the Top 10. I might even have them a little higher at the end of the season."

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