Mike Norvell explains his approach as Florida State begins exit meetings with the roster

For the first time in three years, it's bowl season in Tallahassee. Head coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles returned to the practice field on Wednesday for some light work amidst a stormy morning. Florida State still hasn't learned its destination or opponent, that will have to wait until Sunday. For now, the team is simply trying to advantage of the extra time it's been dealt in 2022. This isn't something the program is taking for granted after the last five years.

At the same time, there are players across the roster with decisions to make. Some are weighing their options to declare for the upcoming draft while others are considering testing the transfer portal waters.

Since the conclusion of the regular season on Friday night, the Seminoles have been going through exit meetings. Players have already met with their respective position coaches and coordinators. They'll all have an opportunity to sit down with head coach Mike Norvell to learn where they stand throughout the next couple of weeks.

"I've had select meetings with different guys. It's hard just with the schedule to be able to get every guy in with me at this point but I'll meet with all of them throughout the end of the bowl season. Every player's met with [their] position coach, we've had opportunities to meet with coordinators," Norvell said on Wednesday. "Kind of painting the picture of where guys are, the areas of improvement that are necessary, and just the focus for us moving forward. Those are real, very transparent, honest meetings of where guys are at. We've had a lot of growth within this program. I'm really liking the progression that I'm seeing and the choices guys are making. With that, it's just trying to make sure that everybody's on the same page of expectations as we move forward."

Florida State has already had one player depart from the team in true freshman defensive back Sam McCall. Plus, it's become clear that redshirt junior safety Jammie Robinson will declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Outside of those two, there are plethora of other Seminoles that are in decison-making mode.

When it comes to Norvell, he's all about the details and doing what's best for the student-athletes, even if that's not the best path for the program.

"Anytime that a young man has a decision to make, I'm not going to just throw out an opinion just to say that I have one. I want to get all of the information," Norvell said. "We're going to go through every process. All advice that I give is going to be what's best for the student athlete. Sometimes that's not always what might be best selfishly but wanting to make sure that we help guide them for their future opportunities."

"We've had those conversations in the past and obviously we'll have opportunities here moving forward," Norvell continued. "Once we get all of the information and be able to present that to them with the factual knowledge of what's ahead, then I'll give an opinion. It's always going to be a thought-out opinion rather than saying what I think would be best for me or even the university at the time."

It's not uncommon for potential NFL Draft prospects to sit out of bowl games in this day and age of the sport, especially if they fall outside of the College Football Playoff. Two players that the Seminoles won't have to worry about in the postseason are Robinson and defensive end Jared Verse, who both stated that they plan to play in the bowl.

With that being said, there's a possibility that Florida State's roster looks somewhat different when the team hits the field in a few weeks. There are other players that could decide to sit out to train for the draft. Plus, the FBS Transfer Portal opens on Monday and it wouldn't be surprising if a couple guys tested the waters.

“We evaluate all those things with each day,” Norvell said. “Obviously, we want everybody to be able to take part in the opportunity that’s ahead, but today is about practice. That’s what we focused on, that’s what we did and we’re going to continue to do that. If there come to be decisions that are going to be made between now and then, we’ll face that when they show up. But I appreciate the work.”

The Seminoles are hopeful that redshirt junior quarterback Jordan Travis and a few key players will return in 2023. Their futures should be publicly known sooner rather than later.

For now, Norvell is turning his focus to Florida State's bowl game as the team looks to finish with 10+ wins for the first time since 2016. The Seminoles will learn their destination and opponent on Sunday.

"Some guys have choices that are ahead of them. The meetings that I've had with guys on this team, it's a really good group," Norvell said. "I'm proud of them for what they've done throughout the course of the season, excited for the work that we have ahead, and we're going to continue to push on that."

Florida State is ranked No. 13 in the latest College Football Playoff and earned the title of State Champions after defeating both Florida and Miami in a single-season for the first time in six years. The Seminoles return to the practice field on Thursday.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the season.

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