Mike Norvell delivers animated message ahead of FSU’s season

The 2025 college football season is rapidly approaching, and for Florida State fans, their Week 1 matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide has the potential to be a season-changing event for a team trying to rebound from last year.

Turn your head in any direction on campus and you’ll see signs of transformation. Construction crews swarm the new football-only facility and the freshly renovated Doak Campbell Stadium. Coaches are ushering in recruits, the smell of football lingers in the air, and one thing is clear: Mike Norvell wants Florida State ready for what’s coming this fall.

"We're excited for all things that are ahead. It's an exciting time in Tallahassee. We've got a great kickoff here on August 30th with Alabama coming into town," Norvell said during his ACC Kickoff press conference. "This football team is hungry, and it is bringing that daily edge in all things that we're doing. There are a lot of wonderful things around our program."

"You talk about the CLIMB and we all have a desired destination. Everybody wants to get to the top and we've seen that," Norvell added. "A couple years ago we got to lift the trophy. Most people talk about it, we've seen it, we know what that looks like but on the flip-side of it, when you're climbing a mountain, there might be some times where you slip and where you stumble. But the most important step along the journey is the next one."

"People that are willing, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of what you find yourself in, that you're willing to take the step to go be your best and put everything that you have in. I don't want a team full of sidekicks," Norvell continued. "I want guys that are willing to grasp it, to hold it, to push it, to step forward, and to go be it, and that's what's needed. And that's what I believe that I'm seeing within this football team."

Jul 23, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; aFlorida State head coach Mike Norvell answers questions from the media during ACC Media days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

To say the expectations at FSU are lofty is an understatement. The prestige and legacy that legendary head coach Bobby Bowden built continue to carry on into what has become a premier place in college football, and with that status comes constant pressure.

But thriving under pressure is the point, isn’t it? That’s what makes college football America’s favorite pastime, filling stadiums and living rooms every Saturday with hope, heartbreak, and everything in between. Norvell knows that pressure, and he welcomes the stakes that come with what is ahead.

Look for big things out of Florida State this season 👀@FSUFootball | @Seminoles | #NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/9LZeVKkQOD
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) July 23, 2025

"This team and this season that's ahead, I've got great expectations and I've got a lot of confidence because I've watched the work and I've seen the investment," Norvell said. "I'm really proud and grateful for the coaches and the leaders that we have within our coaching staff. Being able to have two of the best coordinators in college football and a couple of the best football minds that this game has."

Florida State will be ushering in a revamped coaching staff with the additions of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and defensive coordinator Tony White, alongside a retooled roster with a focus on winning football. It all starts inside Doak Campbell Stadium with Alabama on August 30.

"We start fall camp next Wednesday and I want them to be pissed off to go be their best every single day."

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