Mike Norvell turned 44 on Saturday and received the worst birthday gift imaginable: a 34-31 home loss to Pitt. Florida State fans have unofficially decided to bid farewell to Mike Norvell, and their decision came in true internet fashion, with plenty of sarcasm. This loss to the Panthers was their eighth straight conference loss, which dates back to the 2024 season. This is also the longest ACC losing streak in the program’s history, and now, fans have had enough.

FSU fans raided Mike Norvell’s Wikipedia page and changed his title to “Former Head Coach” after Saturday’s gut-wrenching 34-31 loss to Pittsburgh. Though the edit did not last as long as the fans wanted it to, the message it sent was super clear: FSU faithful are done watching their program flounder in ACC play.  Mike Norvell started the season with a euphoric Week 1 upset over Alabama. And for the first time since 2024, FSU fans had glimmers of hope in their eyes. It continued as FSU kept on dominating their matchups until they just…didn’t.

After being one of the most dominating teams of the 2025 season, FSU collapsed spectacularly as soon as the ACC slate hit them. They lost three straight to Virginia, Miami, and now Pitt to fall to 0-3 in ACC play and 3-3 overall. The Wikipedia vandalism was petty, sure, but it amazingly captured the sentiment of a fanbase that’s watched Mike Norvell’s program go 5-13 since their 13-0 start in 2023 and hasn’t won a conference game in 385 days.​

The Pitt loss was particularly brutal because Florida State actually fought back multiple times and had a chance to pull off the comeback, only to watch it slip through their fingers in the most Florida State way possible. The Seminoles erased a 7-0 deficit and then a 14-7 hole in the first half, trading blows with the Panthers through three quarters before Pitt took control down the stretch. Quarterback Tommy Castellanos played well, going 16-for-23 for 245 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions, and receiver Micahi Danzy had a career day with seven catches for 133 yards and two scores. FSU even cut a 34-24 deficit to 34-31 with 1:45 left when Castellanos hit Danzy on a 58-yard bomb, giving the home crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium hope for one more dramatic comeback.

But as the onside kick failed, the Panthers recovered, and that was it. FSU witnessed another agonizing loss, which now leaves them at 1-10 in ACC games over the past two seasons. The defense did not get loads of crucial stops and allowed 476 total yards. Out of those 476 yards, 321 were through the air and from just one guy: Pitt QB Mason Heintschel. What makes the whole situation so maddening for FSU fans is that this was supposed to be the redemption season after going 2-10 in 2024. Mike Norvell completely overhauled his coaching staff, gave up play-calling duties, brought in new coordinators, and even agreed to a restructured deal where he donated $4.5 million of his salary back to the program, effectively taking a performance pay cut. 

But the worst part for the fans is, irrespective of a million Wikipedia edits, $58 million buyout still looms large for the Seminoles. Florida State can’t afford to fire him. They literally cannot come up with that kind of money, especially after the financial hit of going 2-10 last season and all the chaos they’ve been navigating. Mike Norvell’s contract runs through 2031, and while it does include offset and mitigation language that would reduce what FSU owes if he gets another job, it’s still a prohibitively expensive situation. So fans are stuck watching a coach who’s 1-10 in ACC games since signing that massive extension, wondering how much longer they have to suffer through this nightmare. 

Norvell faces the music after another crushing loss

While FSU fans were busy editing Mike Norvell’s Wikipedia page to reflect their feelings about his job status, the man himself had to stand at a podium and try to explain how his team just dropped its eighth straight ACC game. It may have been his birthday, but Coach Norvell wasn’t in a celebratory mood. He acknowledged the frustration but also dug in his heels about getting things fixed.

“You should be frustrated with the results,” Norvell told reporters when asked about the fanbase that’s ready to run him out of Tallahassee. “We’ve lost three straight games. I’m frustrated with the results. We’ve got to get it fixed and make it better. We’ve shown the potential of what this team is on a consistent basis, but there’s no fan out there more frustrated than I am.” Norvell dove into the specifics of what went wrong, citing “too many mistakes” and “self-inflicted” errors that have become the defining characteristic of this Florida State team. He called the pass-lane integrity “unacceptable” after allowing Pitt true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel to carve up the FSU defense for 321 passing yards and 64 rushing yards. 

Norvell continued, “We had our opportunities, found ourselves in one-score situations.” But this has been his constant mantra this season. FSU has been marred with close losses that feel like they should’ve been wins, but they can never quite get there. He acknowledged the costly fumbles, penalties, and the special teams disasters that included another blocked punt and embarrassing onside kick attempts.