“High tide covers up ugly rocks and low tide exposes them.” This was Florida State’s Athletic Director, Michael Alford, criticizing Florida State football’s fall from grace in just one season. It was hard to imagine a team that had an unbeaten regular season in 2023 would manage to win just two games the next season. A program that had historically been at the forefront of being the ‘force’ in college football sat alongside Kent State in offense rankings and had a historically bad season. There are many things to blame, but only one person to take responsibility.

Mike Norvell isn’t a bad coach. In fact, he can make do with the things he gets. Someone whose offensive expertise and program-building skills are unparalleled. Just look at the Texas native’s 2020 season, where he took a struggling FSU program after Jimbo Fisher’s abrupt departure and led them to a 10-3 season in 2022. He also put in a player development strategy to plan for the long term, which could benefit them for years. But, then, what happened in 2024?

Recruiting at FSU has been pretty weak over the years, and the recent recruiting classes haven’t shown up on the top ten list, even far behind rivals like Clemson and Miami. In addition, the staff recruitment wasn’t too great at FSU last season, as most of the defensive staff was let go by Mike Norvell, and other coaches were relieved from their duties. So, is that a case of Mike Norvell not being perhaps the best people ‘identifier’ in the business? With two players set to leave the program in the transfer portal, this seems to be the case.

FSU offensive lineman Jaylen Early has recently announced his plans to enter the transfer portal (per ON3). The 6’4″ and 305 lb lineman will be sorely missed as the O line last year had immense struggles, and couldn’t protect their QB at all. Sacks plagued the QBs, pressures were created, and the O-line faltered like a house of cards. The lineman who had appeared in 17 games in total in his time at Tallahassee will be leaving with 2 years of eligibility, and it puts Norvell in some jeopardy, at least according to FSU insider Brian Smith.

Speaking on ‘Locked on Seminoles,’ on April 15, he said, “You would rather have the player that already knows your system, knows the school, knows the locker room, knows the coaching staff. So losing Jaylen early to me is a big loss. Now, was he a superstar? No, because last year he wasn’t that great, but Florida State is just not in a position to lose any offensive linemen, even players that aren’t as good as Jaylen Early“.

FSU’s offensive line had struggles throughout the season, as whoever the Seminoles put at the QB position, the O-line failed to protect. Luke Kromenhoek, Brock Glenn, or even DJ Uiagalelei, the O-line failed to turn up for any of them. Now, with Early’s departure, the situation appears dire for Norvell at the moment.

The O-line last year was the worst unit in the country for FSU as the program finished with a 2-10 finish, its worst record since 1974. After a strong 2023 season, where FSU averaged over 34.5 points per game, the 2024 offense struggled immensely, managing just 14.4 points per game. Notably, they were the only FBS team that failed to score more than 21 points in any game throughout the season.​

The team led the nation in dropped passes, and in their final three games, they failed to complete more than 11 passes in any contest.​ Their 1-7 record in the ACC was their poorest conference record in the program’s history. The pressure is well and truly on for Norvell to deliver.

Meanwhile, in addition to losing Early, they are set to bid goodbye to QB  Trever Jackson, who has also announced his plans to enter the transfer portal. Jackson came to FSU in the 2024 recruiting class and was a three-star recruit at the time. The Winter Garden, Florida native, red-shirted in his first year, and failed to see any starts or appearances. Wide receiver Jordan Scott is also reportedly set to enter the transfer portal. Hence, Brian Smith laid out the task ahead for Norvell.

“Can they find a way, though, to get at least one more guy in the portal this spring? They need to. Losing Early, that’s one guy, and again, they could lose somebody else… I think that Florida State has to make a run at at least five offensive linemen in this recruiting class. Not all of them have to be superstars, but you got to take guys and look at this from a broader perspective,” he said. So, what does Norvell feel about it?

“There’s not a whole lot of surprises that happen, but there’s a whole lot of real conversations, and so ultimately, we’re working through it,” he said. He has already started working on things with additions in the transfer portal and beyond.

How is Mike Norvell looking to rebuild?

When the 2025 off-season started, Mike Norvell roped in 4 portal signees: Gunner Hansen from Vanderbilt, Micah Pettus from Ole Miss, Adrian Medley from UCF, and Luke Petitbon from Wake Forest. Still, Seminoles signed 16 transfers in the 2025 class, including quarterback Tommy Castellanos, wide receiver Duce Robinson,

The additions are solid, but Mike Norvell must have expected that the returning OLs with experience, including Jaylen Early, would provide the depth. But that’s not the case. Still, the 2025 season could be something else and show improvement.

The head coach has fired the O-line coach, Alex Atkins, and has now hired Herb Hand from UCF, who will have a great relationship with the incoming transfer, Adrian Medley.

Right now, the team is left with 5 returning OLs with experience: TJ Ferguson, Lucas Simmons, Richie Leonard, Jacob Roizy, and Bryson Estes. What Mike Norvell needs is some great portal additions now, and also to keep his players from leaving. If he can do that, then the team might think of changing its fortunes in the upcoming season.