Florida State roster backs Mike Norvell during tumultuous season, why that matters

As disappointing as Florida State's season has been under Mike Norvell, Saturday night's 42-7 win over Wake Forest provided a glimmer of hope if the sixth-year coach can keep his locker room intact the rest of the way and avoid the boot from boosters.

The vote of confidence from athletic director Michael Alford was much-needed amid buyout talks.

"Fire coach? Nah, nah. Coach Norvell has been awesome," Seminoles quarterback Thomas Castellanos said after throwing for 271 yards and a touchdown against the Demon Deacons. "Everybody blames the coaches? That's on us, tonight, we showed, I'm glad we got that done for him. It's New November."

Snapping the program's four-game ACC losing streak was a must. FSU can still salvage the season and get to bowl eligibility with at least two wins over their final four games against Clemson, Virginia Tech, NC State and Florida.

"I know a lot of people are against him right now," Florida State defensive back Earl Little Jr. said. "We're going to keep fighting for him."

The Seminoles had lost nine of their last 14 under Norvell categorized by sloppy play, lack of discipline and late-game miscues.

"Coach Norvell, just him coming in every day and him not giving up on us, how he loves us, how he pushes us to the best of our ability each and every day," Seminoles starter Ja'Bril Rawls said. "He don't short us not a day, how he loves us, and we just all come together as one."

With Norvell's buyout at $55 million and the cost to fire him, Florida State's coaching staff and the hiring of a new regime exceeding nine figures, it makes financial sense for the Seminoles to let this one play and out and wipe the slate clean for 2026 given how many Power Four openings must already be filled.

Behind openings at LSU, Florida and Penn State. Florida State's list of options to replace Norvell would be thin if the Seminoles joined the circus in search of a new leader.

Like some who lost their jobs this season, Norvell could have easily lost his locker room during Florida State's failures, but it didn't happen. That's a testament to the level of buy-in from all involved, especially coming off 2024's 2-10 faceplant after being ranked inside the preseason top 10.

Norvell said his players answered the call against Wake Forest after what he described as an emotional loss Octoboer at Stanford.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to coach these players," Norvell said. "I know what we ask them to do. I know what we ask them to do on the field; I know what we ask them to do off the field, in the classroom, the challenge that they must embrace being a part of this program. When you come up short in games, when your record is not what you want it to be, the identity is going to be put on display.

"I don't just say it because it sounds good; they're my heart. They're family to me, and they said yes to being a part of this program, and we said yes to them. I think it's a team that is very capable, and just to see them continue to try to grow and to be better and to go and showcase what they're able to do, even with a lot of challenges and probably a lot of things on the outside that make it difficult in today's age of college athletics."