Mike Norvell on 2023 snub, moving forward: ‘It wasn’t right’

There are big expectations for head coach Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles in 2024 after an excellent 2023 season. However, the team is still feeling the sting of being snubbed by the College Football Playoff as it gets ready for the next season.

Recently, Norvell appeared on Always College Football. There, he expressed his thoughts on that snub and emphasized that 2024 is about moving forward as a team.

“It’s still all about us,” Mike Norvell said. “To be honest with you. It’s just about where we are, where we’re going, and ultimately what we’re going to do with the opportunity that’s in front of us. I don’t reference back to last year. That’s not something that I do. We got a chip and an edge just because it’s an opportunity to go and improve and that’s what we’re here to do at Florida State. Anybody who was a part of last year’s team, we lived the experience. Nobody enjoyed having to go through it. It wasn’t right. One of those things that you’d never think would have happened, but it did.”

Florida State ended 2023 unbeaten in the regular season and as the ACC Champions. However, the Seminoles were left out of the Playoff for multiple teams who had a loss during the regular season, with the logic largely being based on quarterback Jordan Travis getting injured.

“So, as we came back into 2024, you can’t look back,” Norvell said. “You just move forward. You have guys that are in different roles. Guys that are in a new place and, ultimately, it’s just about what this team is willing to do to go accomplish what they can. That’s where the edge comes from. I don’t want a team that develops an edge based off others. It needs to be about us and what we’re willing to give for what we want.”

Now, with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams, winning a power conference will land a team in the Playoff, regardless of an injury. So, the goal is to get to that point and prove what Florida State is capable of on that stage.

“It goes back to how we operate,” Norvell said. “You talk about the objective in our program. It’s to go get better. The focus for this team is in everything we’re doing on the field, off the field, just to continue to improve. To stay focused on being the best we can possibly be. We had a great team, a great run a year ago, one that will be remembered, I believe, forever for what they were able to accomplish out there on the field. Now, you get a chance to go and take the next step.”

Mike Norvell first got to Florida State in 2020. There, he immediately had to deal with the pandemic while rebuilding the team. However, he took on the challenge and by 2022 had a 10-win team before the unbeaten regular season in 2023.

“We’ve got a lot of great players that are returning. Some newcomers joining the program from the high school ranks. Some transfers that are coming in. Now, it’s time for the 2024 football team to go leave its mark and I think our guys have done a great job of having that focus on the improvement and really trying to establish the identity of what this year’s team is gonna be.”

Florida State begins its attempt to make a run at the College Football Playoff this August in Dublin with a game against Georgia Tech.