Mike Norvell gives his thoughts on FSU’s signing day, staff changes
Mike Norvell gives his thoughts on FSU’s signing day, staff changes
- FSU is conducting a comprehensive review of its football program after two seasons with a 7-17 record.
- The university hired former NFL executive Jake Rosenberg to assess the program’s structure and identify areas for improvement.
- Head coach Mike Norvell has already made changes, including signing a top-15 recruiting class and firing an assistant coach.
- The review will examine player development, recruiting, NIL complexities, and the team’s leadership structure.
Even while 1,000 miles away from Tallahassee – cheering on Florida State’s No. 3 soccer team as it advanced to Monday’s NCAA Tournament championship against top-ranked Stanford – FSU Vice President and Athletic Director Michael Alford remains locked in on football.
The comprehensive review Alford promised when the university announced it would retain head coach Mike Norvell is in full swing, scrutinizing every facet of a program that has stumbled to a 7-17 record over the past two seasons without a single road win.
Alford also expects to receive an initial evaluation as early as Monday from Jake Rosenberg, a former NFL executive with the Philadelphia Eagles who leads a consulting firm specializing in college football program front-office structures.
Beyond play calling: FSU brings on consultant to help straighten out a program in freefall
Recently hired by FSU for an undisclosed amount, Rosenberg spent last week in Tallahassee conducting a hard, honest assessment of the Seminoles’ organization to identify areas where clarity and improvement are most needed.
The review will offer targeted recommendations regarding staffing and processes. Additionally, it will benchmark FSU’s strategies for evaluating, developing, and compensating players against best practices in college football.
“I am looking forward to getting that report back,” Alford told The Tallahassee Democrat from Kansas City. “Mike’s open to it.”
This isn’t just about Norvell making the right calls on staff and structure. It’s about ensuring he has the right support system to make those calls effectively. Roles and responsibilities must be clearly defined.
FSU administrators, informed by Rosenberg’s insights from extensive interviews with football staff and personnel, are working to streamline processes and sharpen communication channels throughout the program.
Attention falls on FSU football front office and off-field staff. Here’s why that matters.
When giving Norvell a lifeline into 2026 and promising changes, FSU provided few specifics other than signaling they would be focusing early on the front office that partly handles roster construction, NIL and other decisions.
But what does that mean to fans who rarely see the machinations of off-field staff dedicated to player evaluation, talent acquisition, technology and logistics?
Call it a general manager, call it a right hand – whatever the title – the role and right person are essential to help Norvell succeed. Off the field, the Seminoles must become smarter and more strategic. On the field, Norvell must win.
“I think we are missing pieces in personnel, I think we are missing pieces in evaluation,” Alford said of the Seminoles’ front-office. “And we need to win.”
Consider this: FSU’s current off-field staff includes more than 100 employees – 45 football-specific full-time staffers, over 60 hourly workers, and roughly 20 full-time employees with football-related responsibilities.
Doing things the same way is no longer the answer if Norvell wants to extend his stay at FSU in 2026 and beyond.
Change must be strategic, identifying strengths and weaknesses with precision.
Mike Norvell inks early signing class, fires assistant coach with more on the chopping block?
Norvell’s first steps since the season’s disastrous conclusion was last week’s early-signing period, when the Seminoles signed 32 players and finished with Norvell’s second-highest ranked class at No. 14, according to 247Sports and On3.com. ESPN ranked it 13th nationally.
Norvell’s first coaching move followed last Friday with the firing of defensive backs coach Pat Surtain Sr. after three seasons.
The decision sparked backlash among fans, and Surtain, also known as an effective recruiter, posted an emotional message on social media about his dismissal.
“Gave everything for 3 years. I guess 4 years matter more than 40. BET!! Coach Super Good Yall,” he wrote, later adding “Tsss! All good.”
Meanwhile, Arkansas is reportedly targeting FSU running backs coach David Johnson, who has previous experience in the SEC, for the same role with the Razorbacks.
For fans wondering about the coordinators, Norvell has said offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and defensive coordinator Tony White are expected to remain with FSU for a second season in 2026.
Still, additional coaching changes are likely – and necessary.
FSU need to navigating the NIL nightmare that’s unfolding in real time
And then there’s the game-changer – NIL (Name, Image and Likeness), which is a formal way of saying cutting checks to compensate and secure top student-athlete talent.
To stay competitive – and FSU always seems to have the resources to do that – the Seminoles must lead aggressively as this new era of student-athlete pay evolves. That means setting salary rules, managing NIL funds, and keeping contracts under a current $20.5 million annual cap per school. Players can also sign NIL deals with outside companies, adding more complexity.
Power conference commissioners are also considering three options within the existing system.
- Option 1: Schools can freely work with partners/events to direct funds to student-athletes, effectively removing the $20.5 million hard cap.
- Option 2: Schools can help generate or divert funds, but if they decide which athletes receive the money, those payments count toward the cap.
- Option 3: If a school guarantees funds for third-party NIL deals through contracts, those amounts count toward the cap.
Trying to predict where all of this will ultimately lead – if it ever reaches a conclusion – is enough to give anyone a throbbing headache.
FSU football, Mike Norvell must turn corner with wins
Ultimately, it still comes down to winning and filling Doak Campbell Stadium, hotels and restaurants on fall Saturdays. The Seminoles were again a top-10 draw nationally – and No. 1 in the ACC – for television audiences in 2025 with an average of around 5 million viewers despite glaring shortcomings.
The shift in ACC dynamics has also caused angst for FSU fans as they’ve pointed to strong coaching elsewhere and watched non-traditional football programs excel.
Duke – known for its basketball Cameron Crazies and coached by FSU graduate Manny Diaz – won its first outright league championship since 1962 by beating Virginia Saturday night.
And Big Ten champion Indiana, which had the most losses in major college football history prior to Curt Cignetti’s arrival two years ago, is ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history and the only undefeated team left in the country.
A final one-two gut punch: Alabama, which dropped its season-opener at FSU, and Seminoles’ rival Miami were the two at-large teams selected Sunday, Dec. 7., to the 12-team College Football Playoffs.
FSU’s world, of course, was flipped after its exclusion from the CFP in 2023, following quarterback Jordan Travis’s injury. The aftermath saw many starters opt out of the Orange Bowl, leading to a record-setting 63-3 defeat to Georgia. Since then, the program has struggled to shake the bad mojo from the CFP decision and that game.
Norvell’s promises of change aside, the message is clear: FSU, absent from the playoffs for 11 years, is at a turning point. It must rebuild the foundation for smarter decisions and a stronger future.
The Seminoles’ past will never be forgotten, and there’s no telling what legendary Bobby Bowden would think of the increasingly professionalized world of college football.
But it’s here, in full force and in our face without apology.
“I am frustrated, too,” Alford said of the expectations and pressures surrounding getting the Seminoles back on track.
It’s clear some FSU fans have reached their breaking point. Even so, it’s important for the Seminole nation to continue believing in and supporting their football program through these challenges.
The need to restore Garnet and Gold glory has never been more urgent.
Jim Henry is Tallahassee Democrat sports editor. Email him at jjhenry@tallahassee.com.
FSU football 2026 schedule
- vs. New Mexico State | Aug. 29
- at Alabama | Sept. 19
- vs. Central Arkansas | Sept. 26
- vs. Florida | Nov. 8
- vs. Clemson* | TBD
- vs. Virginia* | TBD
- vs. SMU* | TBD
- vs. NC State* | TBD
- at Miami* | TBD
- at Louisville* | TBD
- at Pittsburgh* | TBD
- at Boston College* | TBD
