Florida State President Richard D. McCullough said he remains supportive of head coach Mike Norvell as the Seminoles prepare for a difficult stretch that begins with a matchup against Alabama. The comments come after Florida State opened the season with a loss to SMU and athletic director Michael Alford was fired Monday.
McCullough described Norvell, 44, as a strong person who is focused on winning. “I love Mike Norvell, he's a great human being… Nobody wants to win more than Mike Norvell. College coaches are in the winning business. That's what we're working on,” McCullough said, according to the report.
Norvell is in his seventh season leading Florida State. The program showed renewed promise during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, although the report said the Seminoles likely would have reached the 2023 College Football Playoff if quarterback Jordan Travis had not been injured.
Florida State then won two games in 2024 and failed to become bowl eligible in 2025 after finishing with five victories. The report connected part of the program's decline to quarterback decisions, including DJ Uiagalelei's limited and unproductive five-game stint. Thomas Castellanos helped improve the team's results in 2025, but the article said his limitations restricted the offense's potential.
Ashton Daniels entered the 2026 season as Florida State's quarterback with 24 career touchdown passes. The Seminoles are scheduled to visit No. 10 Alabama on Saturday, with the Crimson Tide listed as a favorite by more than three scores in consensus odds cited by the report. Central Arkansas follows in Week 4, then Florida State faces Virginia, Louisville and Miami.
