“What happened had never, ever happened before in the history of college football, where you went undefeated at a big-name school and don’t make the playoff… They got the playoff taken away and haven’t recovered from that.” This was a former staffer at FSU who addressed the playoff snub of 2023 and the loss of morale after that. The momentum turned inwards, and the waves, which should have kept them afloat, sank FSU deep in the 2024 season. The team finished 2-10 overall and last in the ACC, their worst since 1974.

Whatever may have happened with the playoff snub in the 2023 season. The signs of the incoming disaster were always there. The culprit? Weak recruiting contributed to the inevitable calamity that was to fall in 2024. In the first two seasons, Mike Norvell produced a 22nd and 23rd-ranked class nationally. Which didn’t quite improve over the years, as the 2023 class was ranked 22nd nationally. The 2024 class ranked 12th overall and 2nd in the ACC, but the damage was done. And how could some freshman players of 2024 match the players 2-3 years into the program?

How will FSU’s 2025 season be? Well, they still haven’t seemed to learn their lessons, as their 2025 class is again 20th ranked nationally. However, it still looks loaded with players, as Norvell has signed 23 freshman players and roped in 16 players on transfers. That being said, success in the 2025 season isn’t still guaranteed. And there are doubts still in the air if Mike Norvell has even done enough. Brian Smith of ‘Locked on Seminoles talks about the expectations and limitations that FSU will face in the 2025 season.

“2026 is a year that Florida State truly needs to make a major upgrade with their win-loss record. I think they’ll win about seven games this year. Maybe, they win more. But they’re not a national title contender. In 2026, they got to make noise. But is there somebody currently on the roster that you feel good about definitively? Like there’s proven reason to feel that way, not on the high school production but on what they’ve done on the field. Of course, the answer is no.”

There are still holes in the roster that need to be filled and players that must be roped in for the 2026 class. To put things in perspective, FSU’s 2026 class is ranked 16th nationally and 3rd in the ACC, with eight commits. But it isn’t still looking to be a class that has natty as their ultimate goal or even the playoffs. There is no five-star player in the class yet. The players Mike Norvell has roped in? None of them are ranked under 200 overall. Also, amongst incoming transfer players, only Duce Robinson (WR) looks good on the offense, while others still have to prove a lot.

Injury concerns for Mike Norvell?

Injuries are something that could derail any team’s plans at the very last minute. FSU and Mike Norvell also have to be wary of the same and ensure no major players suffer through any serious injury. However, after entering into the spring practices and practicing for almost two weeks, the FSU team, it seems, has finally got news on the injury front. And it’s not looking very rosy from the outside. The redshirt sophomore defensive back Edwin Joseph has suffered an injury and will likely be sidelined for the rest of the spring practices. Mike Norvell provided a statement on the injury.

“We do have one injury. Edwin Joseph will miss the rest of the spring, nothing that will keep him really out for summer, but unfortunately he’ll be out for the rest of the spring. It’s a small injury but one that will keep him out for the remainder.” Well, the type of injury or ailment the player has suffered is still undisclosed. But this will essentially mean a player who appeared in all games last season and executed 13 tackles will be missing the entirety of the spring practices. That at least can give some incentive to other players to step in his place.

Norvell spoke about some of the players who could make the transition. Those being Ricky Knight III, redshirt freshman Charles Lester III, true freshman Shamar Arnoux, and another redshirt freshman, Cai Bates. The loss of Edwin Joseph will surely hurt FSU, and with other players like safety Shyheim Brown and Conrad Hussey already battling with injuries, Mike Norvell is in a bit of a pickle in terms of managing the injury crisis.