The story of Florida State’s 2024 season may be a riches-to-rags story, but more than that, it has everything a team can do wrong in just a season after finishing 13-1. This is not even a story by any means; it’s a tragedy by all Shakespearian standards. It’s an obituary of a football program and a coach who failed to see the dark clouds as they started to appear on the horizon.

But, apart from that, it is also the story of betrayal and emotional upheaval. This is a full-blown soap opera presented to you within 12 weeks. But the major question is: How did we even reach here? Or is Mike Norvell even fit for the job to lead the 2025 season? And what is he even doing to face the next torrential downpour as the dark clouds will just not disappear magically?

After their 2023 season’s snub from the 4-team college playoff, the players and staff alike couldn’t even begin to comprehend what just happened. A former staffer summarized the blow to the Athletic, “They got the playoff taken away and haven’t recovered from that.“ The snub saw almost 20 opt-outs from the roster that blew onto their 2024 season as they finished it 2-10. But all can’t just be blamed on luck or the snub, and there were some clear signs too that screamed negligence. On a similar note, Mike Norvell has been advised by an insider to avoid some of their problems…

Brian Smith of Locked on Seminoles spoke about their defensive struggles and urged them to avoid a major mistake going into the 2025 season. “Resist the urge; do not try to install the whole freaking defense this spring and fall. Pick and choose to go to your player’s strengths because if they do that, they’ll be able to rotate guys more, they’ll be able to play in more spots, and that includes nickel and dime defense.” Of course, he is right, too. Since their defensive woes were apparent in the 2024 season, Mike Norvell will be tempted to install a whole new defensive line. But that may not work. And here’s why.

The problems that FSU faced in the previous season were mainly controlling dual-threat quarterbacks that major teams like Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Clemson liked to play. They also gave too much time to their opposing QBs, as their pass rush was very poor throughout the season. That allowed the opposing QBs plenty of time to find open receivers and dominate the game. For context, hear this.

Silver lining to the dark clouds for Mike Norvell?

They are ranked last in the rushing yards allowed per game in their conference, conceding almost 186 yards per game. Furthermore, their passing yards conceded also was a huge downgrade from their previous season. They conceded more than 21 yards more on average per game than the previous year. But that doesn’t mean that all their players on defense performed poorly. For instance, Blake Nicholson is looking like a decent player going into the 2025 season. He may be able to guard the perimeter going forward, as they had problems there. So, there’s a silver lining after all?

Well, yes, FSU has raked in some good prospects for their 2025 season. Their class is ranked 20th nationally on 247 Sports. They have got linebackers Elijah Herring and Stefon Thompson through the transfer portal, who will surely provide depth to the roster. Also, they may provide a cushion for Shawn Murphy and DeMaco Ward’s departure. Apart from their transfer additions, they also have some very good freshmen additions in Kevin Wynn and Tyeland Coleman (DL). However, they may still have some problems in the QB department. Here’s why.

Mike Norvell has brought in Thomas Castellanos from Boston College in place of DJ Uiagalelei. However, questions have surrounded his levels, especially how he may not perform at FSU’s standards. Although, he did have a slightly decent pass completion rate at 61.5% for a modest 1,366 yards. Still, it has to be seen what he can do in the future for the Seminoles. But, if popular sentiment is to be believed, they needed a QB like Carson Beck or John Mateer. But who knows? Castellanos may well be the wild card they have been searching for all along.