All that glitters is not garnet and gold. The longest-running horror movie has played out on the biggest of big screens going on seven years now. 82,000 patrons continue to hide their eyes behind their boxes of popcorn or stare at the ground, shuttering in collective disbelief.
The protagonist in this demented spectacle is Florida State coach Mike Norvell. He is a man who stands alone on the sidelines of Doak Campbell Stadium, his eyes affixed in a 1,000-yard stare.
Advertisement
Norvell knows this is a team that will have its backs against the wall every Saturday this season. Make no mistake, the Seminoles have good players and are talented. Norvell and his coaching staff have failed to develop them into winners.
Four of their seven losses last season were by single digits. They had to play from behind a lot, and once they got a lead, they could not keep it. Focusing on fundamentals, mental toughness, and hunkering down late in the game when it counted most was, at times last season, not their forte.
How many programs could not develop quarterbacks for the long haul and have no continuity in play-calling and expect to win football games? Apparently, Norvell thought so, and the result has been 17 losses over the last 24 games.
Norvell will start his third transfer quarterback in as many seasons. Nothing to see here, no quarterback controversy or battle for supremacy. 15 practices were enough for the coach to “settle” on a young man, Ashton Daniels, who has thrown 22 interceptions in his college career.
Advertisement
Florida State football, under Norvell, has become an afterthought, if a thought at all. The lack of winning football and the lack of recognition tell you all you need to know about the Seminoles football program on Norvell’s watch.
Look at the NFL draft picks under Norvell: 20 players sent to the pros since he took over the program in 2020. Half of those went in the 2024 draft, following the undefeated season of 2023. By contrast, Jimbo Fisher sent 29 of his players to the NFL over three years from 2013-2015.
Norvell has failed miserably to develop his players into game changers. Despite the talent they do have, notably standout receiver Duce Robinson and a few others, the Seminoles will enter this season unranked. In addition, the Seminoles failed to place anyone on this season’s Outland Trophy or Bronko Nagurski Award watch lists.
Robinson has been the lone representative for the Seminoles, so far, for preseason accolades. He has been named to the All-ACC team and the Maxwell Award watch list. If not for Robinson, fans might not know the Seminoles were playing football this season.
Advertisement
Is Norvell a dead man walking? This much is for sure; Norvell wants this nightmare to end. The 2023 season notwithstanding, the fans want a refund of their tickets to this double-feature horror show that has played over and over again since 2020, when the world shut down and everything stopped.
It appears the Florida State athletic administration has a disdain for college football success. They come to the office each day dressed for mediocrity, ready to seize nothing. Why else would you leave Norvell in place the past two seasons?
Anything less than a worst-to-first performance by Norvell and his coached-up Seminoles this season, and it is just another nail in Norvell’s coffin. And, another frightening tale from the depths of college football hell, also known as Tallahassee.
