Florida State opened the 2026 season with a 34-17 win over New Mexico State, but the victory did little to ease the pressure surrounding head coach Mike Norvell.
Norvell has remained under heavy scrutiny since Florida State went 7-17 across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Even with a 17-point win to start the new campaign, fans focused on the problems they saw during the game.
Florida State Fans Want Mike Norvell Out
The final score made the game look comfortable, but Florida State had plenty of struggles along the way. The Seminoles’ defense especially struggled to get off the field.
New Mexico State converted 10 of 17 third-down attempts (58.8%), extending drive after drive. Florida State also struggled to put pressure on quarterback Trey Hedden, while defensive back Ja’Bril Rawls had a difficult night in coverage and was flagged for a personal foul.
Those issues were enough to prompt some fans to question whether the team had really turned the page on its recent struggles.
One fan was blunt, writing, “Florida State [explicit] terrible. How did Mike Norvell not get fired?”
Another looked back at Florida State’s undefeated 2023 season and joked, “2023 FSU legitimately might be the best team of all time cause they went 13-0 with Mike Norvell as HC.”
2023 FSU legitimately might be the best team of all time cause they went 13-0 with Mike Norvell as HC
— ©️🅿️ (@corey_plasky) August 30, 2026
Analyst Brooks Austin also questioned how Norvell managed to produce that 2023 run, saying, “The fact that Mike Norvell won 18 games in a row will always be the mystery of a lifetime.”
Some fans even suggested the loss of control could lead to immediate changes. One commenter wrote, “Silver lining is if we lose, there’s no way Mike Norvell makes it to tmr.”
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PFN’s Cam Mellor also identified one of the biggest concerns from the game, saying, “Week 0 overreaction that may not be an overreaction: FSU may have the worst 3rd-down defense in the country.”
Week 0 overreaction that may not be an overreaction:
FSU may have the worst 3rd-down defense in the country
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) August 30, 2026
BBOC co-host added to the criticism, saying, “If I am FSU, I walk over to Norvell walking off the field, and I let him go tonight.”
Why Is Norvell Still at FSU?
One major factor keeping Norvell in place is the financial cost of firing him.
Florida State would reportedly have to pay a buyout of approximately $51 million, making a midstream coaching change extremely expensive.
For now, Norvell and the Seminoles are 1-0. But the performance against New Mexico State left plenty of questions, and the margin for error will become much smaller with difficult games against SMU and Alabama coming up.
A win is a win, but Florida State will need to look much better in the weeks ahead to quiet the growing calls for change.
