Florida State's Mike Norvell enters make-or-break year as pressure rises

The Florida State Seminoles have been on a roller coaster ever since former head coach Jimbo Fisher and the top brass at FSU decided that their differences were too great to continue their relationship (a $75 million paycheck from Texas A&M didn't necessarily sway Fisher from his departure in 2017).

Since then, the 'Noles hired (and fired) former Oregon head coach Willie Taggart, which left a large portion of the fanbase divided, and that whole debacle is a story for another time.

The next man up would be the new head coach, Mike Norvell, who has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during his tenure in Tallahassee, Florida. After producing two losing seasons (if you're counting COVID in 2020), he led the Seminoles to their first bowl victory in ages, defeating Oklahoma in the 2022 Cheez-It Bowl, and followed that up with an undefeated 13-0 regular season and ACC Championship victory over Louisville in 2023.

Now, there is a lot of speculation on why the train derailed in 2024, which saw the boys in garnet and gold go 2-10. Whether it was an improper evaluation in the transfer portal, complacency, a lack of development at key positions, or a combination of all of the above, something went astonishingly wrong last year.

The bigger question is, how hot will Norvell's seat be if 2025 becomes less of a reset than a rerun?

Norvell was featured in "Temperature Check," and the doctors over at Lindy's Sports have rated him as "Fevered" ahead of this season.

"Only two seasons removed from a perfect regular season, the buyout is reportedly more than $60 million, but it's gotten so ugly so fast. Since 13-0, FSU is 1-11 against FBS-level teams,"

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Assuming that Norvell will be gone after year six could be a brazen approach, as he and athletic director Michael Alford have set the stage to bring Florida State back into the modern era.

With a new coaching staff aiming to lift Florida State back into the spotlight again, a winning season could be what the 'Noles need to boost their momentum moving forward.

However, the road to redemption in 2025 won't be a breeze. FSU opens against Alabama on August 30 and still has to topple ACC contenders Clemson and Miami. They also face Florida in their annual rivalry at the end of the year, which could easily turn their hopes into an 8-4 record if they don't drop any of their other games. Plus, three of the final four games fall on the road.

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