Mike Norvell Shares Strong Message for Staff and Players After Firing Three Coaches

The 1-9 Seminoles haven't lived up to Norvell's expectations.

Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell reacts before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The Florida State Seminoles announced a significant change in their coaching regime on Sunday after a lackluster 1-9 season, leading into the worst year since 1974. FSU had managed to keep its leadership in Tallahassee for the most part, and that was thought to be a strong suit for a program just coming off of an ACC Championship.

Instead, Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans were all let go in a move by the 'Noles to steer the program back in the right direction. These changes are often needed but don’t always have a positive effect on the roster or staff as a whole. However, head coach Mike Norvell and the administration felt it was necessary and pulled the trigger on what they thought was best for the team.

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"Well, it's a hard day. Anytime there's change, and you couple that with, it's change because of results and the results on the field. There's joint accountability to that. It's players, coaches, everybody involved. It got real yesterday," Norvell said of the move on Monday. "Three great men that have poured a lot into this program, their families -- I love their families. They poured a lot into this program. Each of these guys have had that relationship. It's hard for them. It's hard for everybody."

With the season coming to an end after the Seminoles face off against the University of Florida on November 30, the early signing period beginning on December 4, and the transfer portal opening on December 9, it is uncertain who will stay or go and whether it was a good look for the program. However, the current state of the program might have been worse, and "addition by subtraction" has definitely turned heads.

Improvement has always been Norvell's message, and he reiterated that throughout Monday morning's press conference. At the end of the day, for him and in college football altogether, the responsibility of winning trumps all. His message to the team was that everyone's best was going to be required regardless of their position within the program is or was.

"My message to the players and message to everybody around the program is that their best is going to be required. There can be plenty of circumstances that arise, and we see it through the course of games, you see it through the course of life," Norvell continued. "Sometimes you don't necessarily feel good about what's happened. It doesn't always work out the way you want it to, but you still get to make choices. Our choice now is to go fight for our improvement, to believe in each other, to believe in what the standard and the expectation is to be a part of this program because there will be no letup, and there will be no pull-back."

The firings were abrupt, to say the least, but Norvell showed that nobody was safe if the standard was not met. More changes could follow if their path back to mediocrity continues.

"It doesn't matter who it is. To be a part of this program, there's going to be one way that we're operating moving forward, and I can promise you, it's going to be with everything that I've got and all those that surround me."

Florida State is currently in its final bye of the season, and there will be a heavy emphasis on self-reflection throughout the course of this week. They're set to face Charleston Southern on Saturday, November 23, with kickoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

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