Mike Norvell On FSU Player Retention: 'I'm Not Expecting A Bunch Of Them To Go Run Away'

The Florida State head coach disclosed that he will not beg players to stay.

Sep 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell during the game between the Southern Methodist Mustangs and the Florida State Seminoles at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Florida State football head coach Mike Norvell spoke to the media following the Seminoles’ disappointing loss to the rival Florida Gators. During the press conference, Norvell was asked about the conversations he’s had with remaining eligible players and whether they would stay or leave the program.

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His response was passionate, likely fueled by both the sensitive nature of the question and the postgame brawl that had just ensued twenty minutes prior.

Norvell began by saying players can ultimately transfer but that they signed up for this program and its results. He also acknowledged that his players have remained steadfast in their preparation for games, but it hasn’t translated to the field.

“The question keeps getting asked for six weeks. Who is going to stay? At the end of the day, yes, kids can transfer. That's not a secret. Ultimately, if you have a bad season, things don't go the way you want, first instinct is just to run and go, I got to get away from that, well, you're not -- we signed up for this together, and guess what? We're all a part of it. The players that are here, the coaches, we are all a part of what this season was. You know, ultimately, yeah, we all have to take accountability. What are you going to do to fix it? It's easy to leave, to quit. It's human nature. It's what everybody wants to do. You know what? If that's going to be the driving force, go find an easier situation to go jump myself into, good luck. You're probably not going to fulfill the things you're capable of. We've had guys that have left here before. A lot of them thought they were going to go to some great situation in a much better place. You know what? I usually get a call back a year later seeing if they can come back.

Even throughout this year, for as bad as we've been, I mean, I totally understand that, but you know what? Also, I've watched these guys work. There has not been a time where our guys have pulled back and not worked. Now, has it been as disciplined, detailed, have we been able to translate that to the field? No, we have not. That's why there is a full scope evaluation. But, yes, do I talk to our players about what it's going to look like moving forward? Absolutely. I try to go as far from sugarcoating it as possible so they know how hard and challenging we're going to push to go get this right. If that scares them off, so be it. Not one of them has pulled back. You know, there is all different circumstances in college football nowadays. You know what? It's going to be out there. If they're quick to leave, then probably not going to be the difference maker that we need.”

Furthermore, the FSU head coach shared that there were players this year who got a lot more reps than he wanted to as he wanted them to develop more before heading onto the field. He also got animated when describing his approach to gauging whether players will stay or leave the program.

“I've got a lot of confidence in this group. I got confidence because I am around them. I'm around them a ton. You know what? Some guys, we got some players that didn't even play this year I think will be contributors this next season. They just need time. Guys that played this year that honestly didn't really want them to play this year because I knew there would be some challenges, but they got thrown into it and had to grow through it. It's just one of those parts of life. Sometimes you find yourself in situations that you just don't want to be in but you get to make the choice to go pour everything you have to be the best you can be. We'll learn and grow from it.

"Obviously anybody that we're going to be recruiting, I'm going to let them know exactly what to expect, too. Just like we did two years ago, three years ago when guys came into this program and said that's what I want to be a part of. That's what I want to be -- I want to be that spark. I want to be somebody that's going to stand up and be able to help guide through what was an extremely challenging season. That's how you become legendary in a place. We had bunch of guys in these last two teams that left here as legends because of the work and decisions they made. You know what? Carried them really well here and it's carrying them really well there in the next phase in their life, too. We got a lot of those guys, I firmly believe that, on this team. I'm not expecting a bunch of them to go run away. I'm not. Do I talk to them? Yes. But I don't sit there and say, ‘are you going to come back? Please don't leave.’ That's not going to be it. They're too strong for that. I mean, they understand what's in front of us. They understand the opportunity. Go be what you came here to be. Didn't show up this year for our football team, but you're here to be a difference-maker. Go be a difference.”

The early signing period will take place from Wednesday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 6.

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