"Relationships built through competition": Mike Norvell points to offseason positives after disastrous 2024 season
Florida State coach Mike Norvell spoke with News4JAX in an interview uploaded Wednesday, addressing the program’s 2-10 finish in 2024 and its direction moving forward.
The Seminoles posted a 1-7 record in ACC play, a steep fall from a 13-1 mark and a conference title the year prior. The offense averaged 15.4 points per game, down nearly 19 points from 2023, while rushing totals fell to 89.9 yards per game on 2.9 yards per carry. The program’s worst record since 1975 placed Norvell and his staff under significant pressure.
Norvell called the season “extremely disappointing.” He said it forced him and the staff to “evaluate”:
“It wasn't anything good,” Norvell said. “I don't want to waste those experiences, what absolutely can push us and help us grow.” (Timestamp: 6:17)
However, the Seminoles' sixth-year coach pointed to offseason work during the winter and spring as signs of progress.
“The relationships that you saw that were being built through competition,” he said. “Guys challenging each other, that was starting to emerge and I think that's critical. It's one of the things we needed to see from our team.”
The offseason has included staff changes and other adjustments following the program’s worst finish in nearly 50 years.
“When you get knocked down, it’s about how quick you can get up,” he said.
Mike Norvell's FSU collapses following 2023 ACC title season
After going 13-1 and winning the ACC in 2023, Florida State plummeted to 2-10 in 2024 under Mike Norvell. The offense dropped from 34.5 points per game to 15.3. The run game collapsed, producing 89.9 rushing yards per game and just 2.9 yards per carry, down from 150.2 and 4.5, respectively. FSU ranked 133rd nationally in rushing offense.
The roster lost 10 of its 13 most productive players from 2023, including quarterback Jordan Travis. Three quarterbacks cycled through the starting job in 2024 without consistency.
Sources cited a fractured culture, a lack of player development from high school recruits, and a heavy dependence on the transfer portal. Internally, the approach was described as transactional, without a defined team identity.
Norvell fired three assistants, including offensive coordinator Alex Atkins and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.
Entering new season 2025, Mike Norvell faces pressure to stabilize the program after one of the steepest year-to-year collapses in FBS history.
Also Read: "I don't want to waste those experiences": Mike Norvell minces no words while listing biggest takeaways from 2024