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Mike Norvell on recruiting following Florida State's successful season: 'This is a special place'

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•12/12/22
Mike Norvell, Florida State football coach
Florida State football coach Mike Norvell communicates with players during a game against Florida on Nov. 25, 2022. (Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

Florida State is fresh off a nine-win regular season in the third year under coach Mike Norvell, with a shot to get to 10 wins for the first time since 2016 in the Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma. One thing has become abundantly clear to Norvell in the past couple weeks following Florida State’s successful season: recruiting is heating up.

That’s likely a product of the on-field success, coupled with the vision Norvell has had for the program beginning to be realized in the wins column.

“Coming into the year, I don’t know how many people projected us to be where we are,” Norvell said. “I believed we would be, and I’m kind of pissed that we had some opportunities to even be better.”

Florida State started off the season with an upset of eventual SEC West champion LSU.

The Seminoles failed to make a real run at the ACC title when they suffered a three-game losing streak during a gauntlet that featured consecutive games versus Wake Forest, at NC State and against Clemson.

But the team rebounded nicely, and Florida State’s successful season has not gone unnoticed on the recruiting trail.

Mike Norvell selling opportunity to recruits

Though he was disappointed Florida State couldn’t come out with results in those hard-fought losses in the middle of the season, Norvell is using FSU’s 2022 season as a sales pitch of sorts.

“We’ve got a good team,” he said. “We’ve got a great opportunity for recruits to come in, to make an impact and to be a part of building something special. This is a special place. There’s been a lot of work that’s gone into it to set the foundation and make sure we’re finding the right fit guys that want to be a part of that journey.”

It’s hard to argue with Norvell’s results.

After going 3-6 in his first year in 2020, Florida State improved to 5-7 in 2021 and now 9-3 in 2022. Pretty consistent forward progress.

“Now we’re not talking about a rebuild,” Norvell said. “We’re at a different place in that. We’re talking about just a continued growth. As we push to get better and compete at the highest level, that’s what they want to be a part of. So it’s been really good.”