Florida State coach Mike Norvell vowed Wednesday that he and his team "are going to get it right," as questions swirled about his long-term future following a 3-4 start to the season.
In his first comments since athletic director Michael Alford said in a statement Monday that there will be a full program evaluation when the season ends, Norvell said he knows recent results have not been good enough.
The low point came last week in a 20-13 loss to Stanford, the ninth straight ACC loss for Florida State. After opening the season with a win over Alabama, the Seminoles are now in danger of their season snowballing for a second straight year. Florida State went 2-10 in 2024, a year after winning the ACC championship.
"I know and understand the expectations. There's no higher expectation than what I have," Norvell said. "I know it's not been good enough."
Florida State is on an open date this week, trying to correct the mistakes that have plagued them in four straight losses -- all by one possession. Norvell said different issues have cropped up in each game -- from penalties, to blown assignments on defense, to turnovers, to an inability to sustain drives and score.
"The team, the staff, we're working extremely hard to get it right. We are going to get it right," Norvell said.
He added that the statement Alford issued did not come as a surprise because he is in constant contact with him, university president Richard McCullough and other decision-makers on campus.
"I know we have to win games," Norvell said. "I take great ownership in our results. It's not been good enough. I hate it for Michael. I hate it for our players. I hate it for the program. I hate it for everybody. That's on me and this staff and this football team to get that right.
"We're going to get it fixed, and we're going to get better."
Norvell revamped his roster and coaching staff after what he called a disastrous 2024 season, hiring Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and Tony White as defensive coordinator and going into the transfer portal to add starters across the board. But the recent results hark back to the problems Florida State had a year ago, only adding to the frustration among Seminoles supporters.
Asked how his team could go from dominating Alabama in a 31-17 victory in the opener to losing on the road to Stanford, Norvell said, "It's college football. There's great parity. Every team, if you give [them] opportunities, they're all capable. It's a weekly focus. Is your best going to show up? If you're not able to execute to your best, if you're not able to respond, if you have a bad play or a bad moment, anybody can give you challenges. I believe in this team. I believe in the talent that we have, the way that we will finish. I know what we're capable of."
Norvell was also asked whether finishing strong would be enough for him to return for a seventh season at Florida State.
"I have a lot of confidence in the long term of what this will be. Until somebody tells me different, I have the absolute belief in the long term," Norvell said.