College football’s pursuit of excellence has left little room for patience. And after a 2–10 season and four straight losses, the Florida State head coach has landed squarely on the hot seat. The only thing buying him time? His massive buyout($50M). Though history has shown that even big contracts can’t always save a coach. Just ask Jimbo Fisher. Amid this turmoil, not everyone’s ready to count Norvell out, especially since the former $70 million man himself has stepped up to defend him.

Fisher knows exactly how ugly that pressure can be. The Aggies pulled the plug, paying out a staggering $77.5 million buyout, the largest in college football history. Having endured that level of scrutiny himself, Fisher understands Norvell. Speaking at Birmingham’s Monday Morning Quarterback Club, he said. “It’s easy to point fingers when you’re outside or try to assess things, but until you’re inside, you never really know because there are so many things that can affect how young men play and what goes on with coaches. Sometimes you have a couple of bad breaks and things don’t go right, a few technical things, and all of a sudden your confidence goes.” 

That makes sense. After all, it’s the same team that won against Alabama and went 13-1 back in 2023. But the scenes shifted pretty fast, going from up to the 8th rank to going completely off the AP poll after losing against teams like Pittsburgh and Virginia. Now, Norvell holds a 36-31 record in his six seasons with FSU, but the team is 5-14 in the last two years, and their standing in the ACC is nothing more than a disaster, as they are at a 1-11 record in those two years. So, now you know why even a little success can’t change fans’ minds.

Even Fisher backs him up on the same saying: “When those losing streaks happen, those coaches are still good coaches. Mike Norvell has had an undefeated season; he’s coached great wherever he’s been, and those players have won. They beat Alabama in a great game, so it’s not like they can’t play. But it’s funny in sports how quickly it can turn from just a little bit of confidence, just a break here and there, and your psyche.” A continuous losing streak is just making it tough for him.

While the fan base may be restless, Florida State’s administration is staying publicly supportive, at least for now. AD Michael Alford recently reaffirmed the university’s commitment to Norvell, promising a “comprehensive assessment” of the program after the season but insisting there are no plans for an in-season firing. So, the question is this backing coming from the size of the buyout or their trust in Mike Norvell, because, for now, everything is going against their fate?

Mike Norvell’s team takes a major hit against Stanford

Just when Mike Norvell thought that he might win against Stanford, misery struck him hard. As late as the fourth quarter, they were down by 7 points, and QB Thomas Castellanos decided to lead down the drive in the hope of tying the game, but moments later, he hit the ground sliding down. After that, trainers came in, rushing back onto the ground looking at his feet, but he was able to walk on his own.

Injury isn’t leaving Castellanos’s back very soon, as weeks ago he suffered a lower-body injury against Kent State. Since then, the inconsistency has not allowed him to give out his best performance. Even his practice sessions were cut down after the Pittsburgh game just to make sure he didn’t get hurt, but he got hurt on the first play of the game.

So, it’s pretty clear that Castellanos is not playing at his full capacity, which is one of the reasons for FSU’s downfall. Yet he’s at 1,607 yards with 9 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in the league now. Let’s wait and see if he returns to his full form in future games or not!