Florida State athletic director Michael Alford issued a statement Monday addressing mounting speculation about head coach Mike Norvell’s job security after a fourth straight loss, pledging a comprehensive review of the football program at season’s end while affirming support for Norvell and the team over the coming weeks.
The Seminoles opened 2025 with a marquee 31–17 win over Alabama and a 3–0 start before a double-overtime loss at Virginia triggered a four-game slide.
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All four defeats have come by one score, and FSU has now dropped nine straight ACC games dating back to last season. Since winning the 2023 ACC championship, the program is 5–15, including an embarrassing Orange Bowl loss to Georgia after being left out of the playoff.
Alford acknowledged the program’s “high expectations” and “deep disappointment” with recent results but emphasized a full-season evaluation rather than an in-season decision. Any coaching change would be costly. Norvell’s buyout is approximately $54 million, and the total obligation with staff salaries would approach $72 million.
Norvell, in his sixth season, overhauled his staff and personnel after last year’s 2–10 falloff, hiring Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and Tony White as defensive coordinator, and bringing in transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos.
Early signs were promising against Alabama, but the same issues that plagued 2024 have resurfaced in league play.
Turnovers, penalties, and blown assignments have all persisted. The low point arrived Saturday in a 20–13 loss at Stanford, where FSU committed 13 penalties and was beaten by a backup quarterback making his first collegiate throws.
Florida State enters an open date before visiting Wake Forest on Nov. 1, seeking to reset fundamentals and salvage momentum down the stretch. Alford’s message signals patience for now—and a decisive accountability window once the season concludes.
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