Mike Norvell joined the Florida State Seminoles at the end of the 2019 season. His arrival came at a time when the program finished the season at 6-7 (not a winning season). Expectations were high, predictions were being made, and FSU was declared in redemption mode. Then came his first season finish at 3-6 and his second season finish at 5-7. The analysts turned against him; the coach who was promised to take FSU to its glory days was finding it tough to even finish it as a winning season. But N0rvell was fed up and decided to take action.

The 2022 season saw FSU finish the season winning 10 games and losing only 3. The season was a massive improvement, but Norvell’s heart wanted more. Come the 2023 season, Norvell led the team to an undefeated season. Demolishing opponents like Clemson and LSU. And ending it with a cherry on top. By winning the ACC after defeating Louisville by 16-6. But this would be the last happy days Norvell would see as the dark cloud just descended on the Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.

How embarrassing the 2024 season for Seminoles’ supporters is not a secret. They finished last in the ACC after winning only 2 games in their season. And while it may look like that FSU’s finish was just a bump on the road. It was actually a culmination of their problems that started to become visible.

“I do think there has to be some soul-searching as to how you put your roster together because we have applauded Florida State for their portal evaluations, and I don’t think we should back off that idea. But I do look at Florida State and say, hey, if you want to live by the portal, the margin for error is razor thin. This is kind of the cautionary tale: you want to live by the portal, you’re also going to, unfortunately, die by the transfer portal.” said On3’s J.D. PicKell in a recent YouTube video. But how did they manage to land themselves in such a big rut?

Well. Their QB, DJ Uiagalelei, has been facing the ire of their supporters for the embarrassing season. The player finished with a meager 53.8% pass completion rate for only 1,065 yards and 4 touchdowns. Which is undoubtedly very low for a starting QB. But he is unfairly being blamed for Mike Norvell‘s blunders that were basically due to his poor recruitment and indifferent attitude towards high school recruitment (as reported in The Athletic). J.D. Pickell elaborated on the issue.

“People are going to blame DJ Uiagalelei, y’all, but Florida State played three quarterbacks this year. DJU was bad but it wasn’t like they had somebody in the house to go save him. that was a problem. It’s a problem there weren’t other pieces around DJU for him to lean on, so I’m not trying to pass the blame off DJ“. And he is right because the problem extended to the whole squad, and poor recruitment was the main issue. But how?

Recruitment problems at FSU

First and foremost was the issue that no changes were made by Novell on his staff who were there for a long time yet still failed to deliver results. Second was the recruitment issue. Their heavy reliance on the transfer portal was detrimental to them. Even their 2024 recruitment class had 13 transfers. Furthermore, their top commits, like Travis Hunter and Jeremiah Smith, recommitted and joined Colorado and OSU, respectively. Furthermore, even in his first season at FSU, he failed to make inroads into recruitment. As it was the worst recruitment class since 2007 for FSU. A former Norvell assistant summarized the issue to the Athletic.

“Shocking that their high school recruiting was just so bad.” Furthermore, another person in the recruitment added, “There’s an institutional lack of appreciation of the importance high school recruiting plays.” The statement highlights the lack of recruitment done at the high school level, which ultimately cost them in the 2024 season. The verdict?

Well, Mike Norvell, one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, has recently pledged almost $4.5 million in fundraising to the campaign launched by the team. The campaign “seeks to immediately raise Florida State athletics to new heights of comprehensive excellence by setting ambitious goals for the future of the student-athlete experience, coaching, facilities, and fan engagement.” Well, Norvell earns $10 million every year, so money won’t be an issue. But still, he will need to rectify his recruitment; otherwise, the campaign money will be just a waste.