“This program, the institution, and the people I get to represent have won my heart.” Mike Norvell confirms his contract renewal with Florida State and dispels coaching rumors about Alabama.
Mike Norvell, who inked a deal that would pay him more than $10 million over the next eight years, will stay as Florida State’s head football coach, despite several media members identifying him as the team’s future head coach.
Norvell said in a statement, “We arrived in Tallahassee four years ago, and it was a life-changing event.” “Knowing the wonderful history, traditions, and expectations has guided our workers on a daily basis. These last four years have been an amazing adventure, and I have developed a deep affection for this program, the institution, and the people I get to serve. I can’t wait to keep pushing Florida State to the top of the collegiate football standings. In order to assist our athletes in becoming the greatest versions of themselves in all aspects of their lives, we are dedicated to giving it our all, both on and off the field. The extraordinary dedication of our student-athletes and the staff members, AD Alford, President McCullough, and the Board of Trustees, has my sincere gratitude. “Go Noles, and #KeepCLIMBing!”
This past season, Norvell—the 2023 Bear Bryant Coach of the Year—led Florida State to its third 13-0 record and its sixth ACC Championship Game victory (16 ACC championships altogether).
The 2023 team from FSU produced a conference-high eight first-team accolades, led by ACC Player of the Year Jordan Travis, who led the club’s record 25 All-ACC selections.
According to FSU Sports Info, the team’s defense led the country in pass efficiency defense, third-down defense, opponent completion percentage, and sacks. Meanwhile, the offense was the only one in the nation to outscore opponents by at least 17 points in every regular-season game in 2023 (with its eight games with a plus-24 scoring run ranking second). The defense also led the conference in yards per completion, fewest interceptions, and total turnovers.
In addition, Norvell has been selected as the 2023 Dodd Trophy winner, the ACC Coach of the Year, the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year, one of the 12 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, and one of the five finalists for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award.
Since Bobby Bowden was named ACC Coach of the Year in 1997, he was the first FSU coach to get the award.
From his formal bio at FSU:
On December 8, 2019, Mike Norvell was appointed Florida State’s eleventh full-time head football coach. As he begins his fourth season in charge, he has elevated the Seminoles back among the top teams in the country.
During his seven years as head coach, Norvell’s offenses have averaged 37.4 points per game, which is the third-highest average in the nation among head coaches who were active from 2016 to 22. From 2016 to 2019, Norvell and Nick Saban were the only two FBS head coaches to score 500 points or more in a single season. Since 2016, Norvell has led only three teams to have a top-7 passing and rushing offense. 23 individual 300-yard throwing games, 37 individual 100-yard receiving games, and 58 individual 100-yard running games have all been shown by his offense. Norvell’s teams have not only produced explosive offenses but also scored 12 kickoff return touchdowns and 13 defensive scores.
In his seven seasons as head coach, Norvell—a nominee for the 2019 Eddie Robinson and Bear Bryant Coach of the Year awards—has built an amazing coaching tree. 44 Division I coaches, including 11 coordinators and five head coaches, have worked as Norvell staff members heading into the 2023 campaign. Arizona State, Oregon, Memphis, Southern Miss, Northern Arizona, Akron, Arkansas, Auburn, Duke, FAU, Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Miami, Oregon State, Pitt, SMU, South Carolina, TCU, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech are just a few of the schools he has employed as coaches.
In the previous seven NFL Drafts, nineteen of Norvell’s students have been picked, with 2022 first-round pick Jermaine Johnson II leading the group. For five out of the last six years, Norvell has coached multiple choices. Apart from Johnson, Norvell also served as a mentor to Anthony Miller and Asante Samuel, Jr., two second-round choices, and Darrell Henderson, Antonio Gibson, and Dylan Parham, three third-round picks. Throughout his tenure, Norvell has coached eight All-Americans, six first-team choices, four conference players of the year, one ACC defensive rookie of the year, and twenty-five NFL draft selections. He has also received 83 all-conference honors.
Over his first three seasons at FSU, he has built a program around dynamic playmakers in all three phases while reinstating the program’s foundation and championship standards. The Seminoles, who doubled their win total from the previous year and finished No. 10 in the final Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the Associated Press poll, are proof that they have made the most of their special combination of high school prospects and transfer portal players.
34 players made their debuts for the Seminoles in Norvell’s first season as head coach at Florida State, which had the youngest squad in the country, with 75% of its players being freshmen and sophomores. After navigating through a pandemic that affected summer workouts, the regular season, and stopped spring practice after just three sessions, Norvell became the first coach in ACC history to upset a top-five team in his first season when FSU defeated No. 5 North Carolina 31-28. Florida State tied the team record for most running touchdowns in an ACC game with six in the season finale, a 56-35 victory against Duke.
After serving as Memphis’ head coach for the previous four seasons, Norvell had a 38-15 record, which included an AAC title and a trip to the New Year’s Six Cotton Bowl. His 71.7 winning percentage, which includes victories against Power Five opponents Ole Miss, 25th-ranked UCLA, and Kansas, was the best in Memphis history. Of all the head coaches in any league, Norvell is one of just 16 who have led their team to three consecutive conference championship games. Memphis was the first school to do it. Additionally, he is one of just eight head coaches to participate in three league championship games within their first four years in the position.
Along with Oklahoma and Ohio State, Memphis was one of three FBS teams to consistently rank in the top-15 nationally in scoring offense from 2016 to 2019. Lincoln Riley and Norvell were the only FBS offensive coordinators or head coaches to coach a 1,000-yard receiver every season between 2013 and 2019.
Memphis achieved a school-record 12 victories under Norvell’s direction in 2019 and won its first conference title outright since 1969. With eight victories in his first season, eighteen over his first two, twenty-six over his first three, and thirty-eight wins in his first four, Norvell owns program records and is the first coach in Memphis history to have two 10-win seasons. Along with that, he owns the school record for most victories in a three-year period, having surpassed his 26 wins from 2016–18 with 30 from 2017–19.
After serving as Arizona State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for four years, Norvell assumed leadership of Memphis. Over his four seasons, the Sun Devils scored close to 2,000 points and averaged 38.1 points per game. With 34 touchdown passes in 2014, his offense amassed 5,750 yards, 3,556 of which came from the air, and finished 13th in the country. The squad finished 10th in the country with an average of 39.7 points per game in 2013.
In a single year, Norvell served as the director of recruitment, wide receivers coach, and co-offensive coordinator at Pitt. He was the wide receivers coach at Tulsa from 2007 until 2010, when he took on the roles of director of recruiting in 2010 and coordinator of the passing game in 2009. Under Norvell’s direction, the Golden Hurricane had five receivers with 1,000 yards, including All-American Damaris Johnson. With 7,796 career all-purpose yards, Johnson surpassed the NCAA record. Only four players in NCAA history have had at least 2,000 all-purpose yards in three consecutive seasons.
After earning four letters during his time at Central Arkansas, Norvell was honored in 2015 with induction into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame. With 213 career receptions, he broke the school record and finished second on the program’s all-time list with 2,611 receiving yards at an average of 4.6 receptions per game. In his four years, he contributed to the Bears’ 33 victories, which included an 11-3 record in 2005. He started working as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater the following year.
Norvell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social science in 2005 and a master’s degree in training systems in 2007 from Central Arkansas. Mila is the daughter of Norvell and Maria.
