Mike Norvell updates how close Florida State is to getting back to 'the standard'

Florida State has historically been one of the best programs in college football, but that hasn’t been the case in recent years.

After winning 15 ACC titles from 1992-2014, the Seminoles haven’t won any over the past eight seasons.

Mike Norvell appears to have Florida State on the right track as he enters his fourth season as the head coach. FSU has improved its win total each year under Norvell, including finishing with 10 wins in 2022.

Norvell was asked at the ACC Football Kickoff event about what it will take for Florida State to get back to its standard and how close the Seminoles are to doing so.

“The standard – it’s a daily application. The standard is every day showing up and being your best and continuing to improve on the journey,” Norvell said. “I think we have grown. We’ve gotten better; we’ve seen those positive steps throughout our program – on the field and off the field. We’ve got to keep it going. We have to keep improving. We have to continue to be more consistent. As long as we’re doing that, I have a lot of confidence in what we’re going to do and what we’ll be able to accomplish. That’s a daily challenge.”

Winning the ACC and competing for national titles was the standard that was set at Florida State under Bobby Bowden. It seems unlikely that FSU will get back to dominating the ACC the way it did under Bowden, but the Seminoles do seem to be in a good spot to compete for the ACC title this year.

Florida State returns a talented roster, led by quarterback Jordan Travis and defensive end Jared Verse. And they brought in some talented players from the transfer portal this offseason, too.

“That standard has never changed,” Norvell said. “There were times where we’ve had to go through some adversity, had to showcase some response. But I do believe in these guys and the work they’ve put in to put ourselves in this position. But we’ve got to see that consistency throughout this year and continuing to grow as a football team and make sure that each week we’re showing up better than we finished the previous.”

Florida State should have an idea of just how close it is to being back to its standard early on this season.

The Seminoles face LSU in Week 1 and travel to Clemson in Week 4 as the two favorites in the ACC will face off early this year.