‘It is a new day’
Fiery Norvell pledges to restore FSU to championship level
TALLAHASSEE — Mike Norvell took a couple of pauses to gather his thoughts and emotions.
He was standing on the fourth floor of the Champions Club at Doak Campbell Stadium surrounded in a room full of Florida State administrators, boosters and former players.
Once he gathered his thoughts, Norvell delivered passionate introductory remarks.
Wearing a garnet and gold tie, Norvell was formally welcomed as FSU’s head coach on Sunday. FSU president John Thrasher and athletics director David Coburn said Norvell’s contract will be for six years.
“It is a new day at Florida
State,” Norvell said.
The new coach soaked in his new home, and his remarks about restoring FSU to its glory days triggered several ovations.
Norvell left Memphis after guiding the Tigers to their best season in program history, a 12-1 mark and a trip to the Cotton Bowl after winning the American Athletic Conference championship Saturday. He replaces Willie Taggart, who was fired less than two years into his tenure with a 9-12 record.
Amid plummeting fan support and recurring mistakes on the field, FSU leaders decided a coaching change was necessary. The university hired DHR International, a search firm, to help find a coach who could turn the
Seminoles into championship contenders again.
Thrasher said the process of hiring Taggart was probably too quick and they didn’t do enough due diligence. The search for Taggart lasted less than a week, was led by former FSU athletics director Stan Wilcox and did not involve a search firm. Vetting and hiring Norvell took more than a month.
“He’s a winner. I think the guy has proven he’s a winner. He’s proven he can recruit,” Thrasher said. “I think he’s proven he can bring a program that’s down up. I think he has the passion that I look for in every single person. I believe he’ll bring that to Florida State.”
That passion flowed through Norvell during his press conference.
He was animated.
His voice rose when he spoke about FSU’s brand and it broke as he choked back tears while speaking about his wife, Maria, and their daughter, Mila.
He was linked to other coaching opportunities in previous years. However, Norvell said he waited for what he felt was the right job to open up. He called FSU the best opportunity.
“Whether it’s recruiting or hiring coaches, making a choice on my future, it always comes down to two factors: fit and family,”
Norvell said. “I can tell you one thing going through this process, there is one thing that is certain — Florida State is the right fit for me.”
He must recruit, address numerous problems on the field and energize fans after apathy has settled in within the fan base. Taggart’s teams were hampered by poor clock management, penalties and inconsistent play in all three phases. Norvell said his team will play smart, structured and disciplined football.
Norvell isn’t the big name the Seminoles were reportedly interested in like former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and current Penn State coach James Franklin.
His track record at Memphis and his explosive offenses made him an enticing choice for the FSU administration.
“He is truly a coach of the future, and he is, in short, exactly what we need for this program at this time,” Coburn said.
Norvell grew up in Dallas but he knew about the FSU brand. He said he had a license plate commemorating the Seminoles’ 1993 national-championship team under legendary coach Bobby Bowden in his childhood bedroom. It was his first piece of college football memorabilia.
Like Taggart, Norvell said he sees former Florida State players and coaches as integral pieces of the program and he thanked them for the sacrifices they made during their tenures.
“We are going to do something special here because of the work that you have done,” Norvell said.
Norvell’s success at FSU will hinge on whether he can continue the success he had at Memphis developing players. He will have to quickly develop relationships on the recruiting trail as an outsider who has never recruited the state at a high level. He started that process Sunday.
Norvell acknowledged it will be a process to get the Seminoles back to prominence. There is no simple fix.
He is confident the Seminoles will eventually reach their destination.
“We are going to take this program back to the top,” he said. “… I can tell you, you chose the right man to lead this program.”