As FSU Prepares for Oklahoma, Brent Venables Says the 'Noles have 'Done it the Right Way'

Brent Venables looks at Oklahoma’s upcoming opponent in the Cheez-It Bowl and sees some familiar qualities.

Venables sees a coach in charge of a traditional college football powerhouse, a man charged with fixing things at his school after his predecessor left a mess, a program that fell short of immediate expectations but has made a steady climb.

And Venables likes the trajectory he sees from third-year Seminoles coach Mike Norvell.

“Boy, he's done it the right way,” Venables said. “He's used transfers, with the right guys when he saw a fit. He's developed guys through signing guys out of high school. And for the most part, he's had good continuity on his staff. He's had an opportunity to build through his vision what he wants his program to look like.”

For Venables, it’s a path he hopes to follow — or a cautionary tale to avoid — as he watched Norvell from across the ACC at Clemson.

“What a transformation that Mike and his staff have done,” Venables said. “What a terrific job of building the program in a foundational way: 9-3 this year and 5-3 in the ACC. They had a great year. The three losses were all to ranked teams, all by a single score. I think their last five games they’ve won by an average score of 44-15. They’re top 20 in offense and top 20 in defense and have premier players in all three phases of the game.”

Norvell’s first two seasons in Tallahassee after replacing Willie Taggart, who was fired less than two years after replacing Jimbo Fisher, whose unceremonious departure left the program in shambles and the fan base in fury.

Norvell, 41, took the FSU job after four successful seasons at Memphis, where he went 38-15 — including 12-1 in 2019.

After breaking into the business as an assistant at Tulsa, where he spent four years under Todd Graham, Norvell was an assistant for Graham at Pittsburgh, then followed him to Arizona State.

In Tempe, Norvell was offensive coordinator from 2012-15, and his offenses were prodigious, regularly ranking in the top 25 in both scoring and total yards.

As Venables said, Norvell’s approach has been one of patience.

“Well, you know, coming in, there had been quite a bit of change around Florida State over the years prior to being able to come,” Norvell said. “And it was important that we set those values and the ability to establish an understanding for our players and what to expect. Because there had been different leaders, you know, and with every leader is gonna be different languages and different expectations.

“So trying to establish just that overall mindset of the willingness to work, you know, being able to push to that standard of being your best day in and day out. And then being able to do that in all aspects, not just in one area, maybe on the field, but being able to carry that over into the weight room, into the training room, into the classroom, into the community, and in all things that you do pushing yourself to that expectation.”

In Norvell’s first season, 2020, the Seminoles finished 3-6 overall and 2-6 in ACC play. Last year, FSU improved to 5-7, narrowly missing a bowl game, and went 4-4 in conference.

This year, a 9-3 record — and win streaks of four games to start the season and five games to end it — have Seminole fans eager about a bright future.

Consider FSU went 7-6 in Fisher’s final season, 5-7 under Taggart, then 6-7 as Taggart was fired midseason, and Norvell definitely has things trending up in Tallahassee — despite major challenges.

“It takes time to build trust,” Norvell said. “And you know, obviously our first year coming in, we had another challenge with COVID, and you're not being around the guys, and just you having to do a lot of that virtual, which was unique unto itself. But, you know, I'm grateful for every step in the journey that we've had. And I think that even through those challenges, you know, the experiences that we've been able to gain confidence in — because, like I tell our team, sometimes you have to go through what you need to prove you can get through. We have proven that we could get through some of the adversity that showed up and some of the unexpected bumps that we've had to face.

“But you know, it's all about that continued growth and being able to be consistent and have continuity. And for our players to now take ownership in that really helped us accelerate that process. A lot of things that we're seeing this year. I'm really proud of them for all the work that they put in.”

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