Florida State coach Mike Norvell has been in the spotlight for the last few years due to the Seminoles’ woeful record. The Seminoles opted to keep the beleaguered Norvell in Tallahassee for a seventh year despite missing out on bowl eligibility for the second consecutive season.
Why Analyst Bud Elliott Is Pessimistic About Mike Norvell and FSU
During Monday’s segment of the “Cover 3” podcast, analyst Bud Elliott blasted Norvell’s offseason preparations with the Seminoles in Tallahassee ahead of a pivotal season at the helm of the ACC powerhouse.
“Florida State, pretty disastrous offseason,” Elliott said. “Very worried about ticket sales, no energy and getting smoked in recruiting. I think the portal class was pretty underwhelming. The timeline of ‘Will we keep Mike Norvell or not?’ Taking forever and getting turned down on the front office thing. Not sure they upgraded that at all, actually.
“Ashton Daniels as your quarterback answer, pretty major questions on defense. It’s bad for sure. They’re in the ACC, which gives you hope, but they play the top six in the conference and seven of the top eight as their ACC games. They got no juice.”
Norvell has presided over four losing seasons in six years in Tallahassee, with the high point coming in 2023 when the Seminoles recorded an unbeaten regular season (13-0) but were controversially snubbed from the four-team College Football Playoff field. Since then, the Noles have gone 7-17 and fallen behind the ACC’s elite teams.
After a promising start to last season, including a stirring win against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 1 and a 3-0 start, the Seminoles slipped into familiar habits and succumbed to four consecutive defeats to derail their season.
The only bright spot for FSU was its offense, overseen by former offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, which earned a PFSN College Offense Impact score of 87.0, the best in the conference. Malzahn threw a spanner in the works when he unexpectedly retired in February, forcing Norvell to promote former wide receivers coach Tim Harris Jr.
Norvell also responded by retooling his roster after losing key players from last season, including quarterback Thomas Castellanos. Florida State brought in the No. 35-ranked transfer portal class in the country, including former Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels, who recently won the Seminoles’ QB1 job over Kevin Sperry.
According to the PFSN College Football Playoff Meter, the Seminoles have been tabbed to miss out on bowl eligibility once again and win just 5.33 games on the back of one of the most loaded conference schedules next season.
