Mike Norvell shares how Florida State will support athletes amid Hurricane Ian impact

Tallahassee isn’t in the path of Hurricane Ian, so it looks like Florida State will miss the brunt of the storm. But that doesn’t mean Seminoles athletes won’t be impacted, especially considering how many are from Florida.

Mike Norvell knows that, and it’s why he’s planning to support his players in any way he can.

The storm made landfall on Florida Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane as Floridians brace for the strong winds and rain. As Florida State prepares for its next game against Wake Forest this weekend, Norvell said he understands if some of his players — especially the 65 players listed on the official roster who are from Florida — have more pressing concerns.

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“Any time you have families affected by natural disasters, some things that we cannot control, these guys, also, they all have lives and all their families have things that happen. When those situations come up, we want to be there, we want to be supportive of our players and understand the feelings and emotions that they go through,” Norvell said. “When you step out on this field and you get an opportunity to … really just hone in on what we’re doing here, sometimes that can be a great distraction to all the other things that are going on in this world. It’s challenging, it’s hard. A lot of these guys, they have families that are being impacted by the hurricane or that have potential to be impacted by the hurricane.

“We’re there, we’re supportive of them, we want to make sure that we’ve got people — whether it’s a situation like today or whenever they have things that go on in their lives — we want them to know that they have people to talk to, they have people to rely on that are here to support them through all situations. When it’s time to step out on this field, that’s one of the great challenges, to be able to put all your focus into the opportunity that’s ahead and going and being your best.”

The storm already forced the postponement of multiple games this weekend. South Carolina is now playing SC State on Thursday, and SMU will now play UCF on Sunday. As of Tuesday, though, Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said he expects the game vs. Wake Forest to go on as scheduled.

“Following out most recent briefing today with authorities, University administration, transportation officials, security, law enforcement and emergency responders, we remain confident that we will be able to safely host Saturday’s football game against Wake Forest at its scheduled kickoff time. We will continue to monitor the hurricane and all weather advisories and take action if needed to ensure the safety of all involved,” Alford said, in part, in a statement.