Mike Norvell opens up on the process of building a strong team

As the head coach at Florida State, Mike Norvell was able to rebuild the program, turning the Seminoles back into one of the best teams in the country in 2023.

Recently, Norvell explained that he feels like there are a lot of teams that are talented. However, the process of building a strong team and not just collecting talented players is important to him.

“Ultimately, when you have a team, you have 120 guys that come together all different paths, all different journeys, all different skill-sets,” Mike Norvell said. “But for them to be able to become one. The relationships. The diversity of skill-sets. How those compliment each other and how it all comes together to go be the best team because there’s plenty of programs with talent in them that might not find on-the-field success because it’s just individual sparks of talent.”

Mike Norvell got to Florida State ahead of the 2020 season. Previously, the Seminoles went just 18-20 over the previous three seasons. That was a stretch that spanned two coaches, Jimbo Fisher and Willie Taggart. It was also immediately the pandemic-impacted season, adding to the challenge.

“For us, I love watching that talent come together to be able to build each other and be able to support each other to have a very successful and comprehensive team,” Norvell said.

It took a couple of seasons to get going at Florida State. However, once they did, it’s been excellent for Norvell and the Seminoles, winning 10 games in 2022 before having an unbeaten regular season and an ACC Championship in 2023.

Florida State feels strongly that it was snubbed for a chance at the College Football Playoff in 2023. However, as Mike Norvell explained, that just adds to the team’s motivation to improve.

“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.”

Florida State is set to open its 2024 season this August with a game in Dublin. There, the Seminoles will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.