Every day, new reports of “Potential Mike Norvell replacements” surface, but they never seem to lead anywhere. FSU now sits almost at the bottom of the ACC with a 4-5 overall record following their 24–10 loss to Dabo Swinney’s Clemson on Saturday night. It was their fifth loss in the last six games, and by all indications, it could signal the end of the Norvell era at FSU. But as Sunday passed with no announcement, fans are wondering, why is FSU still waiting?

Analyst Josh Pate echoed the fans’ frustration on his show, stating, “I think a lot of Florida State fans are the same way: what are we waiting on? And my answer is, I don’t know. I’ve talked to quite a few people about this. I don’t know what Florida State’s waiting on.”

Although Pate stated one thing clearly, that he’s not the decision-maker. “I want to establish one more time, I don’t yell for dudes to get fired…(but) if he’s going to be fired eventually, why aren’t you doing it immediately?” said Pate. If we cut out the 2022 (10-3) and 2023 (13-0) seasons from his tenure with FSU, 2020, 2021, and even 2024 were losing seasons for the program under Norvell’s leadership. And while everything seems to point toward change, there’s still a massive $60 million buyout looming.

Here, Pate assured that money isn’t an obstacle in this case. “It’s not to save money… It sounded like if they needed the money today, they’d have the money today,” said Pate. While the funds might already be available according to Pate, there could still be key boosters or decision-makers reluctant to pull the trigger, perhaps hoping Norvell salvages something in the final stretch. Then maybe the coaching search keeps the Seminoles away from doing it. As Pate put it best, saying, “The way it sounds is we’ve either got the money already and we’re just waiting for the right time, which makes no sense, or we still got to get a few people on board.”

After losses to teams like Pittsburgh, Stanford, and more, if there’s still belief in good days with only three games remaining this season, only a few more losses may convince them, as per Pate. Here, he questioned the logic behind waiting for another loss. It’s baffling that people smart enough to earn tens of millions could believe one game against NC State might change the calculus of paying a coach $60M to walk away, according to the ESPN analyst.

That “right time” might mean waiting until the end of the season, which gives them more control over who comes next. FSU athletic director Michael Alford may even be honoring a promise to Norvell to finish the year before any decisions are made. However, if Norvell is going to be let go, he’ll need time to find his next job. Considering all that, waiting makes no sense for Pate, but the HC still has belief in his team.

Mike Norvell’s take on his team’s future

While every glimpse of hope seems to be followed by losses, faith in FSU is in short supply. Although they beat Alabama, 4 straight losses quickly erased that dominance. After that, although they bounced back against Wake Forest with a 42-7 win, the team’s inconsistency took center stage. Although FSU still needs to win two of its final 3 games to reach the postseason, Norvell isn’t wavering and said,  “As I said, I believe in this team, I believe in the playmakers we have, I believe in the guys that we have.”

Then he doubled down on his take, stating, “It sucks to lose the games that we’ve lost, but I know the work and investment we’re pouring in. I know as a staff what we’re doing, but we’ve got to get the job done.” Despite the setbacks, Norvell is holding the line, maybe because of his past track record.

Yes, during his four seasons with Memphis, he led the team to a New Year’s Six bowl game and won the 2019 ACC title. We’ll see at the end of the season whether FSU leans on past success or judges based on the present situation.