The frustration in Tallahassee has officially boiled over. After Friday’s 21-11 stumble against NC State, the calls to fire Mike Norvell aren’t whispers. Starting this season at 3-0, the Florida State Seminoles have now dropped six of their last eight and sit at 5-6. The aftermath: Norvell didn’t take ownership of the loss; instead, he pointed the finger at his players.

“Too many missed opportunities. Not good enough offensively,” said Norvell in the post-game conference. But that wasn’t the FSU HC’s expectation. “He (Mike Norvell) thought the team prepared well in the short week and was ready,” wrote Warchant on its official site.

Yes, in the game against NC State, FSU has been struggling offensively. The Noles didn’t see the end zone until later in the fourth quarter, while QB Tommy Castellanos managed just 16 of 32 passes for 203 yards. To make matters worse, he racked up two interceptions. Since the interception, they have almost exclusively relied on the run game.

But it wasn’t just his mistakes. The entire unit contributed to the collapse. Against the Wolfpack, the O-line broke down, and a red-zone turnover killed the opening drive, adding to the missed kicks. Then the special teams added more woes. Jake Weinberg missed not one, but two field goals. Besides, there were costly penalties (total no. of penalties: 8), and two muffed punts late in crunch time.

In the fourth quarter, with just under four minutes left, FSU received a punt, only for the ball to bounce off one of their own players and ricochet nearly 30 yards backward. Then, with just 2:30 remaining, they forced another punt, but Squirrel White muffed the catch.

“I have never seen this happen in a football game before,” said podcaster Nick Wize.

The careless inconsistency on the field hurt the head coach. Even Norvell called the two muffed punts “catastrophic.” But after six seasons as Florida’s head coach, putting all the blame on the team for poor play makes no sense. It’s hard to accept, given Norvell’s reputation as an offensive mastermind during his success at Memphis.

With that, if FSU fires Norvell, a move complicated by his hefty buyout, a $1.75M coach could take the reins for the Seminoles next season.

Mike Norvell’s replacement could be Will Stein

FSU could be on the verge of a shake-up, with predictions pointing to Mike Norvell’s exit. The top target to replace him is Oregon OC Will Stein. As The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode noted, FSU may eventually part ways with Norvell, turning to Stein simply because the 36-year-old offensive coordinator is already making waves in college football. Yes, Stein’s reputation extends beyond numbers.

Adam Breneman recalled interviewing Stein during his first year as Oregon’s offensive coordinator, noting that the first thing he asked his players to do was pick up trash off the plane.

In 2023, the Oregon offense ranked 2nd nationally in points per game under his direction. Oregon’s success under Stein has largely been credited to his creativity and ability to develop players. Considering that, Stein’s name keeps surfacing.

Stein’s ties to Texas and roots in the Bluegrass State make him a potential option for Kentucky if they part ways with Mark Stoops. Plus, CBS Sports analysts John Talty, Chris Hummer, and Richard Johnson highlighted him alongside OSU OC Brian Hartline as top coordinator candidates ready to step into HC roles.

But his FSU journey won’t be secure without the decision from the school’s officials.