Florida State Seminoles football coach Mike Norvell shares a defiant message while squarely on the hot seat

Florida State Seminoles football coach Mike Norvell shares a defiant message while squarely on the hot seat originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell confidently flexed his credentials this week as a play-caller, which stems from the team’s 2023 ACC Championship season, plus his days as the Arizona State Sun Devils’ offensive coordinator and Memphis Tigers’ head coach from earlier in his career.

Norvell, while at the ACC Spring Meetings, told reporters, "I've been really good at calling plays throughout my coaching career … I don't say that in any way other than it's just true. I feel very confident in our ability and who we get to coach."

Norvell’s not wrong. He turned Jordan Travis into one of the NFL’s hottest quarterback prospects before a career-ending injury in November 2023. At Memphis, he had Brady White leading the Tigers to a New Year’s Six bowl.

Norvell’s pro-style offense never ranked outside of the top 15 during his four years in Memphis. In 2022, FSU was a top-20 finisher in points per game and yards per play. 2024 could probably be written off as a DJ Uiagalelei year.

Mike Norvell’s 2026 season as FSU’s play-caller is make-or-break

The Seminoles’ NIL/rev-share spending has fallen off in recent seasons. That, coupled with Gus Malzahn’s sudden retirement in February after the team’s transfer portal investments had been finalized, probably points to Norvell being on a fairly hot seat heading into the 2026 season.

Confidence is good before the season starts. Norvell’s level of confidence probably set him up to be clipped, but at the same time, this statement could be seen as a rallying cry if things shake out for FSU.

A Week 3 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa could probably be forgiven, but not if it follows a loss to the SMU Mustangs in an early make-or-break game. Norvell almost certainly doesn’t survive a 2-5 start and a loss to the Miami Hurricanes.

We’ll see if his play-calling is up to snuff enough to survive a tough start to the season, and a schedule that doesn’t ease up much by November.