Mike Norvell reminds players their situation can change throughout season

Mike Norvell is making sure his Florida State Seminoles players recognize their standing on the team isn’t engraved in stone.

In an era where players are quick to jump ship at the first sign of distress, Norvell is stressing to the Seminoles that roles change throughout a season, and that could of course be the case in Tallahassee for some.

“It’s something that’s built, and it’s continual. Obviously, we always tell guys, ‘What you see is where you are,’ and it’s who you are, so you know, it can change day-to-day, based off how you want to respond to the situation,” started Norvell. “But I know this team, you know they love to work. That’s something that, even when it always doesn’t feel good, the willingness to push. They absolutely care about each other. That’s where you see the challenge. You talk about family, well there’s times family, they get into it with each other. They push each other. They try to hold each other to a standard. That’s something that’s necessary on any team that desires to be great. You have to have that.

“So I mean, I like what I’ve seen. I like what they’ve put on display. But for us, we’ve got to continue to improve and get better, and ultimately that’s a great challenge, so it’s the thing that I love about the journey. You see teams that embrace that, and then continue to work to get better at all those little things.”

Alas, that’s all you can hope for as a player, a chance to change your standing on a team through hard work and determination. Evidently, Florida State and Mike Norvell are believers in that sentiment, and that’ll be the case for the Seminoles moving forward.

Mike Norvell shares impressions of LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels

Moreover, we’re being treated to one of the most anticipated quarterback matchups during Week 1’s headline game featuring No. 5 LSU and No. 8 Florida State.

Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell has been doing some scouting of Tigers star QB Jayden Daniels as of late. Based on last season’s showcase mixed in with everything he did after the fact — Norvell knows it’ll be an uphill battle for his defense in the season opener.

“Daniels, you saw that in how he played,” Norvell said on Thursday. “He was very impactful in our game with his legs and the plays he was able to make throughout the contest. He’s a talented player. He’s a guy you have to account for. Obviously, you see the development, growth and confidence he had within the pocket and he has a tremendous group of receivers to throw the ball to, tight ends.

“That’s a very experienced and tough offense to have to defend. We have our work cut out for ourselves.”

Many inside the LSU program are hoping that 2023 will be the start of Daniels’ Heisman Trophy campaign. In 2022, he passed for 2,913 yards and 17 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions on a 68.6% completion percentage. He also contributed 885 rushing yards and 11 more touchdowns on the ground — and is only expected to build on that during the 2023 season and continue to improve as the season moves along.

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this article.