FSU’s Mike Norvell faces harsh reality check from ESPN analyst over 2025 pressure
Context:
Florida State University's football program, led by head coach Mike Norvell, faces intense scrutiny following a significant drop to a 2-10 record in 2024 after a promising 13-0 season in 2023. ESPN analyst Matt Barrie emphasizes the urgency for improvement, criticizing Norvell's heavy reliance on the transfer portal instead of focusing on recruiting and developing talent. The addition of Gus Malzahn as a key figure is seen as a crucial partnership that must succeed to prevent drastic changes in leadership. Despite the setbacks, CBS Sports' Chip Patterson suggests that Florida State can still redeem itself by excelling in the ACC, particularly against rivals Clemson and Miami. Achieving success could not only restore the team's status but also secure Norvell's position as head coach.
Dive Deeper:
The Florida State Seminoles endured a historic downturn in 2024 with a 2-10 record, a stark contrast to their undefeated 13-0 season in 2023, leading to widespread criticism and speculation about the future of head coach Mike Norvell.
ESPN's Matt Barrie highlights the critical need for Florida State to improve, focusing on Norvell's strategy of utilizing the transfer portal over traditional recruiting and development, which Barrie believes has contributed to the team's struggles.
The partnership between newly added Gus Malzahn and Mike Norvell is deemed pivotal, as it must yield positive results to avoid possible changes in the team's leadership and strategy.
Despite the challenging season, there is potential for Florida State to regain relevance if they can perform well in the ACC, with key games against Clemson and Miami serving as potential turning points.
Chip Patterson from CBS Sports outlines a path for the Seminoles to contend for a spot in the ACC championship by defeating key rivals and maintaining a strong performance against other conference opponents.
The pressure on Mike Norvell is not just about team performance but also about job security, as success in the upcoming season could be crucial for his continued role as head coach.
Shane Shoemaker, who covers college football, underscores the importance of the Seminoles' ability to bounce back and avoid repeating the disastrous 2024 season, which could have long-term implications for the program.
Florida State's 2–10 collapse in 2024 wasn’t just a low point — it was historic. And if the Seminoles can’t bounce back this fall, ESPN’s Matt Barrie believes serious changes could be on the way in Tallahassee.
Speaking on the Gramlich & Mac Lain podcast, Barrie didn’t sugarcoat the situation.
“It better be better than that,” Barrie said when asked how much FSU needs to improve. “And I’ve called a couple of [Boston College] games with Castellanos as their quarterback. And I think Florida State’s getting a quarterback. You bring in Gus Malzahn, it’s gonna be a good marriage. It’s gonna be a marriage that has to work, or else there’s gonna be change in Tallahassee.”
That marriage between Malzahn and head coach Mike Norvell will need to click quickly. After a 13–0 regular season in 2023 and College Football Playoff snub, the Seminoles looked ready to reclaim elite status. But last season’s disastrous freefall exposed deeper concerns — especially with how the roster was built.
“And I just can't wrap my head around being that good the year before,” Barrie said. “Like, bad for Florida State, with that tradition-rich program, like, I'm being serious here. Bad Florida State is 9–3, 8–4 right? You go to [2–10], you’ve hit rock bottom.”
Barrie was especially critical of Norvell’s reliance on the transfer portal.
“What I believe Mike Norvell found out… is you can’t live and die by the portal. Every year, you need to build a program that [is] 75% recruit and develop, 25% plug the holes,” he said. “Florida State’s one of those programs, you can retain them, recruit and develop and not worry about going to the portal, because it’s Florida State, you want to stay.”
He called the 2024 season “a bad, bad outlier” — one that FSU can’t afford to repeat. “You want last year to be the one of people saying, like, ‘Oh, that’s not Florida State,’” Barrie added. “You don’t want the reverse.”
Yet despite the fallout, not all hope is lost. CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson sees a path back to relevance for the Seminoles — and it runs through the ACC.
“No one is mentioning Florida State as a title contender now, but a quick glance at the ACC schedule shows just two games (Clemson, Miami) where the Seminoles will need to play above their talent level to win,” Patterson wrote. “If Florida State can knock off one of those rivals and run the table against their other six conference foes, it could be in the hunt for a spot in Charlotte at the end of the year.”
For Norvell and Florida State, that scenario might not just be a best-case outcome — it could be a job-saving one.