Mike Norvell interview: FSU football head coach talks spring, offseason, Tommy Castellanos and more

Florida State had a major summer on the recruiting trail, vaulting into the top 15 of the composite rankings after a slow start following last year's debacle. It’s easy to build up classes before recruits see games get played, and so heading into August, the question then became whether the Seminoles were going to be able to maintain that momentum once the season rolled around. A 2-0 start that includes a season-redefining win over Alabama and a record-setting 74-point victory helps answer that. On the latest episode of the Florida State of Recruiting podcast, the Three Stars (Josh Pick, NoleThruandThru and Tim Alumbaugh) break down how the Seminoles’ on-field success is translating to the trail, which positions remain key priorities, names to watch and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a dominant Week 1 victory over Alabama, Florida State is riding high and reasserting itself on the national stage. The Seminoles thoroughly defeated the Tide by dominating both lines of scrimmage and being “the aggressor,” in the words of Mike Norvell. In one weekend, the Seminoles went from a question mark to sitting inside the Top 25 with their schedule about to open up. Listen in today, and every Tuesday throughout the season, as the Seminole Wrap team, Perry Kostidakis, Jacob Smith, and Jordan Silversmith break down FSU’s game over the weekend, along with a host of other topics. In this episode, the team discusses the players of the game, new expectations for FSU heading into the rest of the season, and the cathartic atmosphere inside Doak Campbell Stadium. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the last week, a common complaint has found a home amidst head coach Mike Norvell’s practice evaluations — missed opportunities. Even when complimentary of his team’s mindset, approach, execution and potential, he’s found himself repeatedly expressing disappointment in the lack of fully taking advantage of moments that hold even more weight when the season rolls around, particularly on the defensive side. “We’ve had some opportunities to to create takeaways defensively, left a few of them out there, really within all three groups,” he said following Thursday’s practice in Jacksonville. “Plenty of people are happy with PBU. We’re not PBU University. We’re DBU University. You got to go make the play. Go finish the play, put yourself in position. You have to be able to finish in those moments — when you’re back there [during a game], the entire stadium when a defensive player is “oh, oh man.” Those are game-changers, ones that absolutely impact the course of all things, so it’s one of the things we’re really emphasizing — the focus to the finish.“ The hope is that the Seminoles’ road trip to Jacksonville, an annual excursion under Norvell, will accelerate both the understanding of expectations and the team-building that occurs in the dog days of summer. “They understand the opportunity that we have,” Norvell said. “You get an opportunity to come be in a place where it’s just us and our guys know that. Everybody’s got their own unique journey, our own backstories and when you get to spend time together and get to know a little bit more of somebody’s why, when you get to really spend more of that quality time, it just continues to bring you together.” Defensive line coach Terrance Knighton’s backstory includes Jacksonville, where he spent three years after being selected by the Jaguars in the 2009 NFL Draft, a fact not lost on lineman Deante McCray — himself having spent time in Duval. “It’s awesome to be in a room like that,” McCray said. “Like he’s been where we’re all trying to get to. So, we’re going to listen to what he says. He’s really relatable. He’s seen it. He’s coached it. He’s seen it all. Like, you know what I’m saying? That’s a guy where you believe everything he says. No question. Like, he wants you to run in a wall 100 miles per hour, you gonna run into a wall 100 miles per hour.” Knighton has seen his example embraced by his unit, to a degree that they’ve begun emulating his personality. Asked if he brought up any tales from his days in a Jaguars uniform, he said his players beat him to the punch. “They do it all the time. They give me crap about it,” he joked, saying “they pull up old YouTube videos and things like that — obviously I tell them I was the best ever, so they go and look for film on it. We have a good time with it, they were like, “Oh, coach, you’re back in Jacksonville. Are you going to cry?” And then all you know, all this stuff. But we have a good time, man, you always know your group as a position coach takes on your personality. So, I’m used to the banter and the locker room talk. So, we’re having a lot of fun with it.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Florida State football, with 24 days remaining until the season opener against the Alabama Crimson Tide, is in the midst of what head coach Mike Norvell called a “critical, critical week” following Tuesday’s scrimmage. Strapping up in full pads for the first time this fall, the Seminoles are now hoping to build upon the initial foundation established through six days of camp and chip away at the mental mistakes that Norvell says are keeping the team from fully elevating to the standard he’s seeking. "You felt guys playing emotional, with energy, excitement,” he said on a post-scrimmage video conference with the media. “There were some things we absolutely gotta get cleaned up, had some foolish penalties that showed up tonight that kind of cost the team in moments. We gotta be more disciplined in some aspects of that, but I thought it was a good first scrimmage. You kind of get a sense of exactly where we are.” Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and defensive coordinator Tony White, both in their first years in Tallahassee, spoke with the media today to offer their own insight into the scrimmage and what they’ve seen from the team so far. Tuesday’s scrimmage reportedly featured the offense getting to a hot start, taking advantage of second-chances provided by slip-ups on the defensive side. While they managed to regain their footing as the night continued, White said the self-inflicted issues had a lingering impression on his evaluation of their performance. “First scrimmages, you’re always going to have some good plays and bad plays,” White said. “I think there are some just the thing that stands out are certain performances, some guys that you thought may play a little bit better did not, and some guys who you didn’t know how they were going to play really perform well. “And so the biggest disturbing thing was the penalties. I think we had a couple unsportsmanlike penalties, lined up offside a couple times, misalignments, things like that that really bug you. They extend drives. Two of those penalties actually ended up where we stop them, we get a penalty and then they go on to score. So those really those are the things that you need to control, which you can.” Malzahn said the scrimmage featured the first time that “our 11 guys were out there togther,” alluding to the health issues that plagued the team in the spring and potentially hitting that the depth chart is on its way to being solidified, as well as acknowledging that the early hot start was intentional, saying “the first half was pretty basic with what they did defensively so we could really evaluate our guys.” “The second half, everybody played football,” he continued. “From a big picture standpoint, it was good for us from an evaluation standpoint to see what guys could do, who’s ready, who’s not, who needs work — just really putting the pieces of the puzzle together. I mean, what are we 23 24 days away? The urgency of putting everything together because the way things went in the spring is really high, so these next six practices are going to be very very important before we really start turning the page for Alabama.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Florida State kicked off preseason camp on Wednesday, officially kicking off prep for the season opener vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide. A hot day that saw temperatures hit 95, per myself and an embarrassing amount of sweat that will never truly leave me, head coach Mike Norvell was pleased with the intial showing from his squad but is looking for good to become great as kickoff comes closer. “It was good to see the players get out there, communicate, and work to execute. I thought that was something positive throughout the day. You didn’t see a ton of mistakes from guys who were here in the spring. Some of the older newcomers also did a good job. Some of the summer transfers and young guys showed up and did well. It was good to see them in their first practice. I do think we’ll see a big step from today to tomorrow. That first day brings a lot of anxiety and excitement. I thought the workflow was good, but there’s definitely a lot of improvement we need from day one to day two.” Wide receiver Duce Robinson and offensive lineman Luke Petitbon, each offering their vote of confidence in what the offense is capable of this season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a tumultuous 2–10 season and major offseason staff turnover, many expected Florida State’s 2025 recruiting class to reflect the chaos. Instead, the Seminoles have quietly rebounded with a strong summer stretch and currently hold the No. 15-ranked class in the country per the 247Sports Composite. With 22 commits already in the fold, the Three Stars (Josh Pick, NoleThruandThru and Tim Alumbaugh) are here with another episode of the Florida State of Recruiting podcast to break down the players who have joined FSU’s 2026 recruiting class. The trio talk the Seminoles’ summer surge as well as taking a look at the class as a whole — what’s improved since last season, where are the hits and misses are and what position groups and players are their favorite. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Florida State is off to Super Regionals, set to face off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders following a dramatic victory over the Auburn Tigers in two games in Tallahassee to kick off NCAA Tournament competition. On this episode of the Seminole Softball Wrap, Brian and Gwyn break down the Seminoles' regionals performance as well as their matchup vs. Texas Tech. The duo review results from the rest of the field -- including some unexpected upsets -- and look at the road to Oklahoma City for the country at large. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New FSU basketball coach Luke Loucks discusses his vision for FSU: a fast, three-point-heavy, NBA-style offense and a top-tier defense, inspired by Steve Kerr and Mike Brown. Speaking in Jacksonville, he talks on JU transfer Robert McCray V and how he brings what Loucks believes to be NBA-level athleticism to the squad, part of his first-year approach of blending portal talent with homegrown players. In addition, he spoke on the ACC’s down year (pushing for more investment to rival the SEC), praises Leonard Hamilton’s Hall of Fame legacy and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After wrapping up the annual trip to Amelia Island for the ACC Spring Meetings, FSU head coach Mike Norvell made a stop in Jacksonville on Thursday for a Seminole Boosters event. Before meeting with fans, he spoke with the media on a variety of topics, including his post-spring thoughts on his squad, what he's seen from new quarterback Tommy Castellanos as well as the rest of his gunslingers, what lessons he's taking from last season and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Florida State softball team will open their NCAA Tournament run at home this Friday as the Seminoles host the Tallahassee Regional. The No. 5 overall seed FSU is set to host the Auburn Tigers for the second year in a row, the USF Bulls and the Robert Morris Colonials as the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds for the weekend. On this episode of the Seminole Softball Wrap podcast, Gwyn Rhodes and Brian Pellerin discuss the Seminoles draw with this regional, including the unusual path that brought Auburn back to town this year, USF’s strength in the circle and Robert Morris’ potential upset hopes. They also recap an eventful last two weeks that saw a no-hitter, the announcement of a season-ending injury, clinching an ACC regular season title and a loss in the ACC Tournament Championship Game. Gwyn and Brian also give their picks for each regional around the country this weekend through Softball America’s World Series Pickem Challenge. And yes, that includes who they expect to be in Tallahassee next weekend for the Super Regionals plus some top-seed upsets around the country. As we get started on the postseason run, thank you for listening all year long and allowing us to talk softball with you. We’re excited to watch the next month of softball ahead. Tallahassee Regional: Game schedule, TV info May 16 Game 1: South Florida vs. Auburn | 12 p.m. | ESPNU Game 2: Robert Morris vs. No. 5 Florida State | 2:30 p.m. | ACC Network May 17 Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 1 p.m. | TV TBD Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 3:30 p.m. | TV TBD* *Loser eliminated Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 6 p.m. | TV TBD* *Loser eliminated May 18 Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5 | 12 p.m. | TV TBD Game 7 (if necessary): TBD vs. TBD | 2:30 p.m. | TV TBD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices