Norvell Vows Energized FSU Will Respond After Disastrous '24

Norvell Vows Energized FSU Will Respond After Disastrous '24 originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

CHARLOTTE — Mike Norvell took the stage at ACC media days in midseason form Wednesday. Florida State’s coach was fired up from the jump, a level of energy his players said they’ve become accustomed to even as it caught reporters in the room off guard.

“I’m excited for opportunity,” said Norvell, explaining his demeanor. “That’s what we have in front of us.”

In front of us is the operative phrase. The Seminoles are coming off a 2-10 season, their worst since 1973. FSU is now straddling the fence of looking ahead to the opportunity that 2025 might hold and using the disappointment of 2024 as motivation.

“It’s always about reflection,” Norvell said, “but the things that happened last year are not going to have an effect on what this team is going to be.”

That fresh-minded approach is aided by the degree of turnover the Seminoles’ roster and coaching staff underwent this offseason. All four players who accompanied Norvell to ACC media days did not start their careers at FSU. That transfer-heavy roster-building approach worked wonders in 2023 — a 13-1 season capped by an ACC championship — and fell apart a year later.

Florida State brought in a larger, more highly touted class in the portal this past offseason. There were changes up and down the roster, though one of the more notable additions came at quarterback, as the ’Noles landed Tommy Castellanos from Boston College.

“Regardless of the skill set, it’s the playmaking ability,” Norvell said of his new dual-threat quarterback. “You step on the field and 10 guys around you are better — that's what you desire, and that’s what you look for. I think that’s what we have.”

Castellanos accounted for three touchdowns for the Eagles last September in an upset at Doak Campbell Stadium that in many ways was a sign of what was to come for FSU. Castellanos called it a dream come true to play for the ’Noles, and his new teammates all seemed grateful they wouldn’t have to face him again.

“He’s a threat in the air and on foot, so you know I hate facing them types of quarterbacks, because they’re a pain,” said defensive back Earl Little Jr. “One moment you’re playing man coverage, you turn around and now he’s running at you, so it’s hard. He’s crazy in the open field.”

Now onto his third school, Castellanos reunites with his former head coach at UCF, Gus Malzahn, who’s now Florida State’s offensive coordinator. Castellanos, too, is looking forward to putting last season behind him after a falling out at Boston College that led to his benching and eventual transfer.

The Seminoles’ new quarterback is not lacking in confidence, having sparked offseason headlines with his comments about Alabama, FSU’s Week 1 opponent.

“They don’t have Nick Saban to save them,” Castellanos said in June. “I just don’t see them stopping me.”

Castellanos clarified last week that he only meant to instill confidence in his teammates on the heels of a disastrous campaign, but he doubled down on Wednesday.

“We stand on what I said, but there's no disrespect between that team or anything like that," Castellanos said. "It's just the confidence that I have in my teammates and the way we've been preparing.”

Preseason prognostications vary for Florida State, which was predicted to win the ACC a season ago and ended up finishing last in the expanded conference. The Seminoles figure to finish somewhere between the extremes they enjoyed in 2023 and endured in 2024.

“When you look through the past few years, we've accomplished some great things,” Norvell said. “We've experienced the highest of highs, and we've also found ourselves in a valley.”

Defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. admitted the team’s struggles got to him. “We went 2-10,” he said. “That eats me up every day.” The lingering feelings from that season could have contributed to the desperate mindset that Norvell preached in his press conference and his players repeated like a rallying cry.

“Sometimes you have to go through it,” Norvell said. “Nobody ever wants to face disappointment. Nobody ever wants to get knocked down. But I’m built for this journey, and this program is built for this journey. We will respond. We will take that step.”

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.