CFB coaches are going above and beyond during the busiest recruiting season to land their top high school prospects. Even though the playoffs are quickly approaching, the recruiting craze doesn’t calm down—in fact, it intensifies. But Mike Norvell, the head coach of FSU, doesn’t seem to be able to guarantee the Seminoles’ future. Since this season, the team is 1-8 under the leadership of Norvell. On top of this, the hiring staff has little to offer except the promise of a fresh start in 2025. Consequently, FSU’s future hangs precariously in the balance. It looks like even HC’s $63 million wager failed.

Rivalsdotcom posted a series of images on their Instagram account, explaining FSU’s current recruitment situation and captioning them, “What needs to change for the Seminoles to be BACK? 🤔.” Looks like the Seminoles were greatly disadvantaged by Mike Norvell’s incapacity. Numerous elite athletes are abandoning their commitments after seeing Noles’ performance this season. Well, they have just 11 2025 class commitments left in the program, which includes 3 three-star, 7 four-star, and 1 five-star athlete.

Plus, the IG feature showed FSU’s off-field struggles, including the following: “Four-star quarterback Tramell Jones has been predicted to flip his commitment from FSU to Florida,” and “5-star athlete Soloman Thomas is on flip watch.” You can therefore see how dire the situation is for FSU’s future prosperity. For now, FSU’s 2025 recruiting class is a bit underwhelming, ranking 43rd. And the most glaring issue? They haven’t landed a single wide receiver commit. Zero. Zilch. Nada!

Given that Florida State’s situation is deteriorating daily under his leadership, Norvell should relinquish his $63 million buyout. Let’s take a broad look at his $63 million wager.

Mike Norvell’s $63M liability

On November 3rd, a surprising voice joined the chorus of criticism against Mike Norvell. An FSU insider even called for his resignation, warning that it’s crucial for the future of Florida State. “Norvell should turn in his resignation. The lack of effort by several Noles is a reflection of his poor leadership,” stated Brian Smith. Despite this, Norvell’s future with the Noles is only secure due to the cost of his termination.

It’s not that simple to remove Mike Norvell from the program. The team must pay him a substantial amount of $63 million, which represents 85% of his income and expires in 2031 if they choose to end his contract. Until then, he might lead Florida State to even worse failure, which could lead to a bad 2025 dynasty for the squad.

This team was undefeated in conference play just last season under Mike Norvell. So, what happened this 2024? Is it bad luck, or has Norvell suddenly forgotten how to coach? Well, it’s sure a puzzling turn of events.