Mike Norvell, Tommy Castellanos maintain belief in FSU football's direction

From the inside, the Florida State Seminoles keep faith in righting the ship.

Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell during warmups before the game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

There aren't many people who still have faith in the Florida State Seminoles. After all, why should they?

Every time Florida State starts to give fans a reason to believe, it's followed up by major disappointments.

Defeat Alabama and set school records against overmatched opponents? Promptly lose four straight games in a multitude of different ways.

Come out of the BYE week and begin new November with a 42-7 victory against Wake Forest? Show everyone the Seminoles are the same inconsistent and self-sabotaging football team.

READ MORE: Self-inflicted mistakes doom FSU football in road loss to Clemson, 24-10

It's painful cycle, at least for the few standing who still have a lick of hope. For the rest of us, the clock is hopefully just ticking down on the end of this wild ride.

Coming out of the loss, which dropped Florida State to 4-5 with three games left in the regular season, head coach Mike Norvell and senior quarterback Tommy Castellanos spoke about how the Seminoles don't plan to quit.

Mike Norvell: 'I Believe In This Team'

Nov 1, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell looks on before the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Norvell was asked directly if he's still confident that the Seminoles can finish the season strong to and establish a sense of direction going into 2026.

Florida State needs to win two of its final three games to make it to the postseason.

No one will be shocked by his response.

"I do. As I said, I believe in this team, I believe in the playmakers we have, I believe in the guys that we have," Norvell said on Saturday night. "It sucks to lose the games that we've lost, but I know the work and investment we're pouring in. I know as a staff what we're doing, but we've got to get the job done."

FSU QB Tommy Castellanos Says Seminoles Will Keep Fighting

Oct 4, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tommy Castellanos (1) warms up before a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Castellanos struggled in the 24-10 defeat against Clemson, overthrowing multiple passes and struggling with his accuracy. He accounted for two turnovers - a fumble on a botched handoff in the red zone and an interception late in the fourth quarter.

This season hasn't unfolded the way anyone within the program expected it to. Mixing in an apology to the fanbase, Castellanos made it clear that the Seminoles don't plan to mail it in.

"It's a game of inches. It's a game called life. You've just got to learn from it," Castellanos said after the loss. "Every opportunity you get, you've just got to give it your all. I feel like I'm going to fight to the end. We're still not going to quit, we're going to continue to fight."

"No matter how frustrating it gets, no matter how close we get. Our job is to keep fighting, keep finishing, end the play better," Castellanos continued. "So I apologize to the community, the fans, my teammates. We've got to play better, we've got to play better for the defense."

Castellanos is clearly fighting his heart out for Florida State, even if the results aren't always there. He thinks his teammates are doing the same; he sees it through the work, and that continues on Sunday.

"I believe it, I see it every day. Tomorrow, it's not an off day. We go in at 11 in the morning and probably leave at 7 at night. We just go back to work," Castellanos said. "It's not the season that we want to have, and I know it's disappointing, but we're not going to quit. We're going to keep fighting."

"We've got a home game next week against a good Virginia Tech team. Just like Wake Forest game, man, we want to see the fans out there and supporting and being loud," Castellanos added. "That helps us, and we feed off that. We're not going to quit, we're going to continue to fight and try to get a win."

Florida State returns to action against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday, November 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network.

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READ MORE: FSU football enters Clemson Tigers matchup as slim underdog

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