Florida State head coach Mike Norvell had the Seminoles going in the right direction just a few seasons ago. After a 10-3 campaign in 2022, FSU went 13-0 in the regular season a year later, and they were a Jordan Travis injury away from competing in the College Football Playoff.
It’s been all downhill since then. FSU has gone 7-17 over the last two seasons, which includes a 3-13 record within the ACC. As a result, when Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports put out his rankings for Power Four coaches, Norvell came in at No. 42 on the list.
I predict Florida State fans will see this ranking and be angry for two reasons. The first will be that they think we’ve ranked Norvell too high, and the other will be that he’s still eligible to be ranked at all. It’s been a tough couple of seasons since The Great Screw Job of 2023, as the Noles are only 7-17 and 3-13 in ACC play in that span. Norvell enters 2026 in one of the hottest seats in the country, and it’s hard to find anybody who’s optimistic that Norvell will be able to put out the fire.
Norvell has suffered some extremely bad losses as a head coach over the last two years. No disrespect to any of these schools, but FSU losing to the Memphis Tigers, Duke Blue Devils, and Stanford Cardinal is simply unacceptable.
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The Seminoles have also been struggling on the recruiting front over the last two years, especially regarding their in-state rivals. The Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators both have top 10 recruiting classes in the 2027 cycle. As for Florida State, they’re currently ranked No. 31 in the country.
FSU has also lost to both schools in each of the last two seasons, and they’ve dropped two straight to the Clemson Tigers as well. Losing consecutive games to your three biggest rivals certainly indicates how Florida State has not fared well in recruiting, and that’s a direct reflection on Norvell and his staff.
The program has expressed confidence that Norvell will turn things around in 2026. However, if FSU has another down year, a change has to be made.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU Football: Mike Norvell ranked No. 42 Power 4 head coach
