At the Podium: Mike Norvell’s Comments from ACC Kickoff
· Yahoo Sports
On the sports calendar, July is marked as the beginning of “talking season.”
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Various football conferences across the country gather for their annual media scrums sessions with beat writers and media personalities covering their respective teams.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday for the ACC Kickoff, with a contingent of his players in tow: quarterback Ashton Daniels, receiver Duce Robinson and defensive back Ja’bril Rawls.
Norvell was the second coach to step to the podium on Day 1, after Miami coach Mario Cristobal. Norvell praised the core of talent that returned to the team for the upcoming season.
“Coming off disappointing results from a year ago, but excited about the core of this football team, the guys that have returned, some of the young players that have continued to emerge, decisions from guys to return that had other opportunities,” Norvell said.
The Seminoles have talent all over the field. On offense, the skill players at running back and receiver are exceptional. Ousmane Kromah and Quintrevion Wisner can hit the holes and gain big yardage. Kromah has slimmed down and has lost close to ten pounds, which will help with his game speed going forward. Wisner is a transfer from Texas and led the Longhorns in rushing with 597 yards. Samuel Singleton averaged seven yards per carry last season.
Robinson is widely considered as one of the top receivers in college football, and resisted the urge to jump to the NFL, wanting instead to leave a lasting legacy at Florida State. Micahi Danzy brings his track speed to the gridiron and creates problems for opposing defenses. Jayvan Boggs brings his big body (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) to challenge contested catches and create matchup problems.
On defense, Norvell secured the services of linebacker Chris Jones via the transfer portal. Jones racked up 135 total tackles at Southern Miss last season, and could easily be on any early Butkus Award watch lists. Both Jones and Rawls are preseason second-team All-ACC selections, according to Phil Steele.
“We understand the expectation,” Norvell said. “There's no person or place that has higher expectations than we have being part of this program, making sure we're doing things the right way, the Florida State way, competing for championships, in all things that we do.”
Under Norvell’s watch, the Seminoles have won just seven games the last two seasons, and just three ACC games. They did win the 2023 ACC championship after going undefeated in the regular season.
However, the College Football Playoff Committee surprisingly left the Seminoles out of the playoff field that season. The Seminoles have posted four losing seasons under Norvell, who has a 38-34 record entering his seventh season in Tallahassee.
“I think Ashton is a guy that can really do it all,” Norvell said. “As we talk about experiences, Ashton has a great deal of experience throughout his college career. He's been put in a lot of different situations that he's had to work through. You see somebody that's just continued to grow.”
Daniels has been named the starter for the 2026 season by Norvell since the end of spring practice. Florida State will be Daniels third team in as many years, having transferred from Auburn, and played at Stanford before that.
The concern in Daniels’s passing game is ball security, or the lack thereof. During his collegiate career, Daniels has thrown 22 interceptions to go with his 27 touchdown passes.
“We found a role and opportunity that I think he can make a great impact in helping support this staff,” Norvell said. “Being able to add a new perspective to things that he's done, to be able to help assist the guys within our football team just to go and achieve at a very high level.”
Herman won 54 games over six seasons as head coach at both Houston and Texas. In addition, he has coached some dynamic and talented quarterbacks, like Greg Ward Jr. with the Cougars and Sam Ehlinger with the Longhorns. That bodes well for Daniels and his continued growth as a starting quarterback in the ACC.
At the end of a long day of questioning, Norvell gave the coaches-speak answers that are common at these events, about improvement and winning championships.
The lone 2023 conference championship notwithstanding, there has been little to no improvement on the field. Certainly, not to the expectations and traditions of Florida State football.
Will 2026 be any different? Or is Norvell a lame duck in coach’s clothing? Inquiring minds of football fans and media types want to know, and will find out when toe meets leather on August 29 against New Mexico State.
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