Copyright CBS Sports
Florida State coach Mike Norvell received a statement of support from athletic director Michael Alford on Monday in the wake of Saturday's stunning defeat at Stanford, which dropped the Seminoles to 3-4 on the year and 0-4 in ACC play. Reports mounted throughout Sunday that Florida State had begun conversations regarding Norvell's future, prompting a close watch on the latest activity in and around the football program. Monday morning offered, if nothing else, a lowering of the temperature regarding any immediate action. Alford promised a "comprehensive assessment" of Norvell's program at the end of the season but pledged that Florida State was "fully committed" to helping the football team rebound in the coming weeks. "We rightfully have high expectations in everything we do to represent Florida State in the manner that built our reputation as one of college football's best programs, cultivating an extraordinary group of supporters nationally and globally," Alford said. "We embrace those expectations while also sharing the deep disappointment when results on the field are short of that standard. "As we continue to move forward this season, our comprehensive assessment of the football program will be completed at season's end. Meanwhile, we are fully committed to helping Coach Norvell and the 2025 Seminoles strongly rebound in the coming weeks." So, while Norvell remains firmly on the hot seat entering 2026 and beyond, this statement sends a message to fans that are clamoring for action right now. Choosing to stick with a coach can be as tough a decision as firing a coach, and like all big-picture moves at a place like Florida State, they come with pros, cons, immediate impact and long-term effects. Below, we dive into some of the pros and cons of Florida State's decision to stick by Norvell's side through the end of the year, suspending judgement and supplying context on the factors impacting the decision. Pro: Calm turbulent waters during crucial time Florida State is currently in its off week, which is a time schools have traditionally targeted to make a midseason coaching change. Florida, for example, just fired Billy Napier coming out of a home win in part because of the timing that would allow the team to reset during the week off before heading into the second half of the season. Saturday night's performance against Stanford jump-started the rampant reporting of booster frustration, which according to CBS Sports' Chris Hummer included conversations about what it would take to move on from Norvell as the program's coach. The contractual buyout, estimated to be about $55 million, is not seen as a "road block" in the eyes of Florida State supporters, and with the continued on-field failures there was a thought that Norvell could be out as soon as Sunday or early next week. So, when Sunday came and went, the only options were to fire Norvell at the beginning of the week or come out publicly with a statement of support, which is what Alford did. This does not change the conversations behind the scenes, but it does replace the reporting of booster unrest with a new headline. A "vote of confidence" before Halloween is never a great situation to be in, but that announcement from the athletic director is going to drive the conversation more than booster-fueled speculation. That's particularly important this week as Florida State is scheduled to move into its brand new, football-only facility. If Florida State was 6-1 or even 5-2 at this juncture, then the ribbon-cutting and unboxing of a state-of-the-art facility with new offices, including one for the head coach, would be a celebratory moment for the entire athletic department. In committing to Norvell and promising an end-of-season assessment, Florida State is encouraging the coaches, players and staff to move into this new facility without the cloud of a midseason firing around the corner. Players mock, boosters talk and a $55 million decision looms at Florida State Chris Hummer Con: Failure to address sub-standard performance This is an accountability issue, because there aren't a lot of things that Florida State can do to effectively indicate to this team that the level of performance is unacceptable. They are committed with the roster from a spending perspective, and there's no trade deadline, so how can Florida State get the attention of this group in hopes of turning the season around? When Penn State moved on from James Franklin after three straight losses, one of the messages was for the fan base and community to throw their arms around the team and encourage them to make the most of a season that was clearly going to finish below preseason expectations. With no accountability for the failures on the field, Florida State players must decide internally whether they are prepared to do what's necessary to change a season that's sliding off the tracks. Alford's statement pointed out that the results have not been what is expected at Florida State, but in the same statement, he offered support for Norvell and the coaching staff. Pro: Buy time to get organized for a new financial future On Sept. 21, there was not a thought in Tallahassee or all of Leon County that Florida State would be needing to crunch the numbers of buying out a coaching staff and hiring a new one to lead the football program. That's less than one month ago that Florida State was 3-0 with a win against Alabama and ranked inside the top 10 of the AP Top 25 poll. So while reports indicate that the buyout amount may not be an issue, I'd understand if decision-makers need a little bit of time to get organized for what some have estimated to be a $100 million effort to clear out the old staff and bring in a new one. This is, of course, right as Florida State has been dealing with the fundraising and spending efforts to improve Doak Campbell Stadium, build a brand new football-only facility and get acclimated to the new revenue sharing era in college sports that just took hold this summer. The financial future of all of college athletics remains a moving target, so if Florida State was already in the exploratory phases of new revenue streams, those conversations take on a new tone if the football program is in the midst of a total overhaul in leadership. Con: Risk a repeat of 2024 results One of the most damning aspects of Norvell's failures at Florida State has been the way his team has responded to adversity. The College Football Playoff snub at the end of 2023 was followed by one of the most lopsided bowl games of all time. Then, last season, Florida State lost by a field goal to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, and came back to the states deflated enough to lose by 15 to Boston College and eventually go from top 10 in the preseason to 2-10 on the year. Now, in 2025, we're seeing the mounting effects of multiple close losses to the point where the opponents are getting worse -- yet the results are remaining the same. So, keeping the thread going on the accountability front from earlier, it's possible that not changing anything could continue to breed these same results. Florida State has two home games left -- against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech -- that are going to be tough sells when it comes to generating hype, but they also represent potentially embarrassing home atmospheres if the game goes the other way. There's also road games that mean a lot to FSU alums across the country, including Clemson on Nov. 8 and the rivalry game against Florida on Nov. 29. College football coaching carousel tracker: Grades, analysis on coach changes, 2025-26 firings and hirings Brandon Marcello Pro: You can still make a change before season's end Just because Florida State offered a vote of confidence in support of Norvell does not mean that the Seminoles are contractually obligated to keep him as coach before the end-of-season assessment that was promised. If the season does fall into a total tailspin for the second year in a row, Florida State can move ahead likely having used this buffer of time to get organized on the financial and paperwork front. And Mike Norvell might have earned the right to try and coach his way out of this funk, if only to finish on a stronger note. Much has been made of how Norvell has a 5-14 record in his last 19 games, but prior to that, the Seminoles did win 19 games in a row on his watch. Instead of firing Norvell on Sunday or Monday, Florida State will give him the opportunity to flex his coaching chops and get this team reset during the off week before looking to finish the season strong. But, if it does tailspin, Florida State could still make the decision to fire him before the end of the season and would not take too much heat for doubling back on Monday's vote of confidence. Florida State has bought itself time by giving Norvell one last chance, yet it can still can end at the same result in time to enter the coaching carousel.
