FSU A.D. Michael Alford opens up about football coaching changes, confidence in Mike Norvell

The news on Sunday that Florida State football coach Mike Norvell was dismissing three of his longtime assistant coaches — his offensive and defensive coordinators and another position coach — might have come as a surprise to fans and other observers.

But it was the culmination of weeks of discussions and evaluation by Norvell and athletics director Michael Alford, all of which took place as the Seminoles’ 2024 season spiraled to its current 1-9 record.

Two days after those firings were announced and one day after Norvell discussed them publicly, Alford spoke with Warchant.com on Tuesday about the decisions and the extensive steps Florida State is taking moving forward.

“This process is a byproduct of daily, nightly, weekly, constant communication between Coach Norvell and I. So all these discussions during this evaluation, they’ve been excellent,” Alford said. “Our relationship is very comfortable with each other. Very candid. We can talk about each other’s vision … and the one thing I love about Mike is his willingness to engage with me. To listen to me, and vice-versa. We’re very comfortable in our discussions with each other.”

With Florida State enduring its worst season in decades, including a 52-3 blowout Saturday night at Notre Dame, the Seminoles fired offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans on Sunday.

As he and Norvell discussed Florida State’s problems and what action was needed, Alford said it was clear that the head coach was determined to get things right, but that he also wanted to do right by the players, the coaches and their families.

“This was very personal to him,” Alford said. “It just was. And it showed. It showed for a little while, and frankly it affirms to me all of the qualities about him that make him such a great leader. The things people don’t see … his relationships with the student-athletes. They don’t see the response that the student-athletes have to him. I’m fortunate that I get to see that every day.”

When Norvell spoke with the media on Monday, he said that he will continue to make evaluations of his program in the coming days and weeks. And Alford echoed that sentiment during his conversation with Warchant on Tuesday, explaining that Florida State is examining “everything” about the program.

“Mike leads the evaluation, 100 percent,” Alford said, when asked about the hiring and firing process with assistant coaches. “I will work with the head coach. I will speak to the head coach about the program … I will give my assessment. But he and I are full partners in the vision and the assessment of the program. I’m not going to tell you we always agree — that’s the same with any of my head coaches. But I’m also one that I’m going to listen to their assessment, to what they think is the best thing for their program. I will provide my assessment, my experiences from being in this business for over 30 years — and some of the professional experiences I have — and try to work with my coaches to try to get to the desired outcome.

“But he’s led that evaluation. Now, the assessment’s been going on for a while now. We’ve been looking at everything, and I mean everything regarding the program. We’re not done evaluating the program. There’s some things that I’ve brought up to him that I’ve said, ‘Hey, on your radar. I want to discuss this with you at the end of the year.’ … It doesn’t mean I’m right. It just means we’re going to have a discussion on it. And I do that with all of my programs.”

Sunday’s firings were only the beginning of what will be a challenging stretch for FSU.

The Seminoles obviously will be in a time crunch at the end of this season to make new hires, since the early signing period for high school recruits looms in early December, and the transfer portal opens up after that.

And even when the hiring process is complete, Alford said, the reviews of the football program will continue.

“Every aspect of this program, coaching, is being evaluated,” Alford said. “It’s not atypical, but we’re really going to dive deep into it at the end of the year.”

Another challenge facing Florida State is financial, given the fact that Atkins, Fuller, Dugans and the rest of the coaching staff received raises and/or contract extensions at the end of last year’s 13-1 campaign. While footing that bill is and was a concern, Alford said they couldn’t let that get in the way of pushing the program back in the right direction.

“You can’t ignore it,” Alford said. “It is part of the decision-making process. But it’s not a deterrent from what needs to be done to get this program back on track quickly. That’s the most important thing for us, the fans, the student-athletes, administration, everyone involved. Making sure that we’re doing the things properly to get this back where it needs to be.”

Like Norvell indicated on Monday, Alford said the Seminoles already have received inquiries about their new vacancies from coaches with very impressive backgrounds.

“It confirms what we believe about the standard that we live by,” Alford said. “There are some high-quality people that want to be a part of that process.”

And while he said the hiring process will be spearheaded by Norvell, the athletics director said Norvell is keeping him up-to-date with all developments.

“We have constant communication about who, what, when, style of play, what he thinks we need to bring to the program, my assessment of what we need to bring to the program,” Alford said. “That’s the great thing about Mike and our relationship. That we respect each other. He respects the job that I have to do. And growing up in this business — son of a coach, having three kids [playing sports], being an athlete, my wife being an athlete — I know the impact on the families, see what coaches go through, see what they wear every day. …

“Knowing what he’s going through and assessing what he needs, and trying to provide him with the resources to be successful, is the partnership that he and I have. We understand the role each other has and respect the role each other has.”

While many fans and media speculated before Sunday’s announcements whether Norvell’s job would be in jeopardy after a dreadful 2024 campaign — even with a contract buyout that would cost Florida State in excess of $60 million — Alford said he has total confidence in the Seminoles’ fifth-year head coach.

He said he remembers people questioning him about Norvell’s ability during a rough first two seasons at the helm, and that belief was rewarded with 19 consecutive victories during the 2022 and ’23 seasons, including the 2023 ACC Championship.

“I get to see his relationships, his communication, his desire, his vision,” Alford said. “I see how hard he works. I see the relationships, the response the student-athletes have toward him. That goes back to his first two years as well. … People said, ‘Was he the guy?’ then. I had 100 percent belief in him then. I’m not gonna change that now. He is still doing the right things. He is still leading the program the right way. And I have 100 percent confidence in him.

“Now, we need to provide him the winning-edge resources it takes to run an elite program. And that’s something we’ve been doing. With the resources and his culture and what he brings to the table, I have 100 percent confidence we’ll get it back and get it back quickly.”

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