Florida State is 1-2 after two straight losses. Against Alabama, the Seminoles blew a 21-6 lead, gave up scores on nine straight possessions, and lost 50-36. Norvell had already seen the same execution issues. Now he is warning that players who keep repeating them could lose playing time.

“We lost both those games, and we did not play to the best of our ability,” said Norvell. “And at the end of the day, I think that’s my, if there’s any part of that, then you will not see those players playing very long or much anymore, right? If we can’t get up to go play our best football, that’s not, that would be absolutely unacceptable.”

In an X post shared by Warchant, Norvell made his expectations clear as Florida State sits at 1-2 and 0-1 in ACC play. He still praised his players’ fight after the Alabama loss, but his message going forward was firmer: repeated execution mistakes could start costing players their snaps.

“I thought we put ourselves in position but did not get the job done,” Norvell said postgame. “But I am proud of the fight of our players. I mean, they’re in the locker room. We all feel the disappointment, but also feel the urgency to get better… We lost to two good football teams early in the season, with ample opportunities to go and win it. We didn’t make enough plays in either of those games to finish the job, and that’s what we have to do.”

Norvell is not putting all the blame on his players. After the Alabama loss, he said “none of it is solely on players” and admitted the coaching staff also has to put players in better positions to succeed. He pointed to missed signals, poor alignments, bad leverage and players being out of position, while also questioning whether the defense is being asked to do too much.

The numbers show why those issues are becoming difficult to ignore. FSU has surrendered more than 550 yards in back-to-back games, including 567 against Alabama. His staff is also under pressure to correct what keeps going wrong.

Central Arkansas now presents a very different test. Florida State returns home for a matchup it is expected to control against a Bears team making its first trip to Tallahassee. Central Arkansas still brings problems, particularly behind dual-threat quarterback Donovyn Omolo and a rushing attack averaging 6.2 yards per carry and 238.3 yards per game.

For Norvell, the significance goes beyond simply getting back in the win column. After two straight losses and recurring execution problems, another setback at home would bring even more attention to a program already searching for answers.

At Florida State, mediocrity is not the standard. The Seminoles have won national championships in 1993, 1999 and 2013, while Norvell raised expectations again with 10 wins in 2022 and a 13-1 season in 2023. Since then, FSU has fallen to 2-10 in 2024, 5-7 in 2025 and 1-2 to start 2026, leaving Norvell at 39-36 overall. For a program with that history, the bigger question is how quickly a championship-level run turned into another stretch of inconsistency.

The frustration around Norvell is already visible. Some fans have launched a website calling for his removal and have even discussed raising money toward his buyout.

Norvell’s eight-year, $84 million extension runs through 2031, leaving Florida State facing a buyout of roughly $51 million if it moves on from him during or after the 2026 season. A loss to Central Arkansas would only intensify the questions surrounding Norvell’s future in Tallahassee.

Next, Florida State gets Central Arkansas at home before hosting Virginia on October 3. After that, the schedule toughens quickly with road games at Louisville and Miami, followed by Clemson at home, giving Norvell little room for the same mistakes to continue.