Mike Norvell Sends Message To FSU Fans After Firings: 'This Year Has Been Unacceptable'

Norvell recognizes that change is needed to get the Seminoles back to the standard that is expected in Tallahassee.

Oct 26, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell reacts from the sideline against the Miami Hurricanes during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Less than a year ago, Florida State found itself sitting with a 13-0 record and on top of the ACC for the first time in nine years. It was a monumental moment for head coach Mike Norvell and his staff, a testament to the hard work and dedication put in since the group arrived in Tallahassee in December of 2019. At the time, the Seminoles committed a lot of money to those coaches, hoping they would have the program in the College Football Playoff conversation for years to come.

It took less than one full regular season for those aspirations to crumble. With FSU nearing the end of one of the worst campaigns in program history, it's become apparent that change is necessary. The Seminoles have been awful on offense and not much better on defense, leading head coach Mike Norvell to make the tough decision to fire three members of the coaching staff that went 23-4 during the last two years.

Fans have been calling for these dominoes to fall for quite some time now. Norvell has made it clear that he's willing and able to take the necessary steps to get Florida State back and better than where he already had it.

READ MORE: Florida State Football Receiving “Tremendous Interest” In Open Coaching Jobs

In the wake of moving on from offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans, Norvell delivered a clear message to one of the most passionate fanbases in all of college football.

"I mean, obviously everything we do, and I love our fans and I love the people we represent being a part of this program, past players, all. But I've got to do what I feel is best, to the best of my ability in leading this program and the decisions that I make," Norvell said on Monday. "There's going to be a lot of emotions, and there's going to be a lot of times that our fan base might disagree with a decision that I make, whatever that might be, in game, out of game, personnel, who we recruit, who we go after, that's all part of it. The passion of that is what makes this place wonderful."

"But I would say that this year has been unacceptable, and that's from the job that we've done to how we've played. There is a standard here at Florida State that when you come here you embrace, and I will say it is part of this job and for the players that choose to come here, I tell them all the time, it's not for everybody," Norvell continued. "You have to be an absolute real one to be able to come in and understand the expectation of what it needs to look like and what it has to be. It's not just what we do on the field but how we do it on the field is all important, and we haven't been good enough this year. It's hard to make changes, but when change is necessary, then you've got to be willing to change. That's not anything against guys that have been here. It's not anything against guys that are currently here, guys that are in that locker room. But we need change."

"We need the best to show up, and it has to look and feel and be a certain way because the results matter," Norvell added. "We're all accountable to it. We want more, and our fan base and everybody around it, we all desire this program to be what we know it's capable of. We've seen them, the flashes of it, and it hasn't been too long ago since we've had that. But it's going to be back, and it's going to be back quickly, and we're going to work our butt off to make sure that's our reality in the very near future."

Despite the losses piling up, fans have continued to show up and sell out Doak Campbell Stadium, which is operating at a limited capacity due to ongoing renovations. The Seminole faithful and boosters are looking for any sort of positive sign they can believe in after all the negatives since last December.

These next couple of weeks and months are crucial for Norvell to prove he can piece back together a program that is worth supporting. One thing is for sure, the War Chant will be rocking in August when Florida State kicks off its 2025 season against Alabama.

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READ MORE: Florida State Athletic Department Supporting Mike Norvell Through Changes

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