Mike Norvell - Head Coach - Football Coaches - Florida State University (2024)

Mike Norvell was named Florida State’s 11th full-time head football coach on Dec. 8, 2019, and has built the Seminoles back among the nation’s elite as he enters his fourth season at the helm.

Norvell’s offenses are averaging 37.4 points per game during his seven years as a head coach, which is the third-highest average in the country among head coaches active each year from 2016-22. Norvell and Nick Saban were the only two FBS head coaches to score at least 500 points each season from 2016-19, and Norvell is one of only three head coaches to produce a top-7 rushing offense and top-7 passing offense since 2016. His offense has showcased 58 individual 100-yard rushing games, 37 individual 100-yard receiving games and 23 individual 300-yard passing games. In addition to his high-powered offenses, Norvell’s teams have also scored 13 defensive touchdowns and 12 kickoff return touchdowns.

Norvell, a 2019 finalist for the Eddie Robinson and Bear Bryant Coach of the Year awards, has developed an impressive coaching tree in his seven seasons as head coach. For the 2023 season, 44 current Division I coaches, including five head coaches and 11 coordinators, have served on a Norvell staff. He has hired coaches who are now on staffs at Arizona State, Oregon, Memphis, Southern Miss, Northern Arizona, Akron, Arkansas, Auburn, Duke, FAU, Indiana, Louisiana Tech, Miami, Oregon State, Pitt, SMU, South Carolina, TCU, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech, among others.

Nineteen of Norvell’s pupils have been selected in the last seven NFL Drafts, led by 2022 first-round selection Jermaine Johnson II. Norvell has coached multiple picks in five of the last six years. In addition to Johnson, Norvell also guided second-round picks Anthony Miller and Asante Samuel, Jr., as well as third-round selections Darrell Henderson, Antonio Gibson and Dylan Parham. In his career, Norvell has coached 25 NFL Draft picks, eight All-Americans, including six first-team selections, four conference Players of the Year, one ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and 83 all-conference recognitions.

In his first three seasons at the helm of FSU’s program, he has re-established the foundation and championship standards while building a program around explosive playmakers in all three phases. The Seminoles have utilized a unique blend of high school prospects and transfer portal players to maximum impact, evidenced by a 10-win season in 2022 that doubled the previous year’s win total and led to a No. 10 finish in the final Coaches Poll and a No. 11 final ranking in the Associated Press poll.

Statistically, the 2022 team was among the nation’s best in multiple categories in all three phases. FSU was the only team to lead its conference in both total offense and total defense in 2022. Florida State was one of two teams nationally to average at least 270 passing yards and at least 210 rushing yards per game. The Seminoles, along with Alabama and Georgia, were the only three teams to rank in the top-15 in yards per play on offense and defense. Those three teams were also the only ones ranked in the top-20 in total defense, scoring defense, total offense and scoring offense.

Florida State led the country with an average of 7.46 plays of at least 20 yards per game and ranked second nationally with an explosive play differential of +7.41. The defense was fourth in the country in passing defense, and FSU was one of six teams nationally to rank in the top-25 in kickoff return and punt return average. Florida State led the ACC in passing defense, third-down offense, yards gained per pass, yards gained per play, yards gained per rush, total offense per game, yards per completion, yards allowed per pass, rushing offense per game, yards allowed per play, total defense per game and scoring offense per game.

The Seminoles were led by quarterback Jordan Travis, who was PFF’s highest-graded quarterback and the highest-graded offensive player in the ACC. Travis continued to showcase his development under Norvell, ranking first in the ACC in yards per play, yards per pass attempt, yards per completion and pass efficiency rating. He had a school-record six straight games accounting for at least three touchdowns and became the first player in program history with at least 20 passing touchdowns and seven rushing touchdowns in one season. The redshirt junior saved his best performance for last, accounting for an FSU bowl-record 468 yards of total offense in the Cheez-It Bowl victory over Oklahoma that included a career-high 418 passing yards and 50 rushing yards, making him only the fifth player nationally with at least 400 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in a bowl game since 2000.

The defense was led by first-team All-Americans Jared Verse and Jammie Robinson. Verse was the ACC’s Newcomer of the Year after he dominated in his first season at Florida State following a transfer from Albany, leading the conference with an average of 0.75 sacks per game and ranking second in the ACC and 10th nationally with an average of 1.4 tackles for loss per game. Robinson, FSU’s first back-to-back first-team All-ACC defender since Jalen Ramsey in 2014-15, was the Seminoles’ leading tackler for the second straight season. He registered 99 stops, including a game-high 13 in the Cheez-It Bowl victory, and recorded 5.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, five pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery.

Offensive lineman Dillan Gibbons became the first FSU player to win the prestigious Wuerffel Trophy, given to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field. Along with the Wuerffel, Gibbons, who started all 13 games at left guard, was voted captain of the Good Works Team, named the winner of the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award given to the ACC’s top football senior scholar-athlete and was selected as a first-team All-ACC performer.

The 2021 season was highlighted by first-team All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Jermaine Johnson II, who elevated his game into a first-round NFL Draft pick in his one season at Florida State. Johnson, the only athlete to win a Player of the Year award in his first season with an ACC program, and first-team All-ACC defensive back Jammie Robinson led FSU’s contingent of eight all-conference recognitions for the program’s most All-ACC honorees since 2016.

Florida State ended the 2021 season converting 32 consecutive red zone trips, the longest active streak in America and the second-longest streak at any point in 2021, scoring an average of 6.1 points per red zone trip during the streak. The Seminoles also grabbed at least one interception in each of the last eight games of 2021, tied for the longest streak in the country in 2021 and the longest active streak nationally entering 2022.

Florida State ranked second in the ACC and seventh nationally in red zone defense, allowing points on only 70.6 percent of red zone drives. The Seminoles also ranked third in the ACC with 20 total takeaways and 7.2 tackles for loss per game, while their 14 interceptions were fourth overall in the conference. The tackles-for-loss average ranked 12th nationally and was FSU’s highest for a season since 2016.

In his first season at Florida State, Norvell led the youngest team in the nation as freshmen and sophom*ores made up 75 percent of FSU’s roster and 34 players made their first appearance for the Seminoles. While navigating through a global pandemic that ended spring practice after only three sessions and impacted summer workouts and the regular season, Norvell became the only coach in ACC history to defeat a top-five team in his first season when FSU earned a 31-28 victory over No. 5 North Carolina. In the season finale, a 56-35 win over Duke, Florida State scored six rushing touchdowns, matching the program record for rushing touchdowns in an ACC game.

The Seminoles averaged 199.9 rushing yards per game, the program’s highest since 2016 and 20th nationally among teams that played at least nine games in 2020, and 5.11 yards per rush, 16th in the nation among teams with at least 350 carries and FSU’s most in a season since 2015. Florida State topped 400 yards of total offense in five of the last seven games, including more than 500 yards of total offense twice, and produced FSU’s first game with at least 250 yards rushing and passing since 2016.

Norvell’s teams are known for elite special teams play, and that was on display in his first season with the Seminoles. Florida State tied for second in the NCAA with five blocked kicks, including two blocked field goals, two blocked punts and one blocked PAT. FSU was one of only two teams in the country to block multiple field goals and multiple punts in 2020. Additionally, the Seminoles ranked 16th in the nation in net punting average.

The team posted a program-record 3.127 grade-point average in the spring 2020 semester, an immediate indication of the importance Norvell places on academics in his program, and Florida State produced a program-record 10 Academic All-ACC selections after the 2022 season. As another public signal, 182 players have earned a Seminole Scholar patch on their uniform as part of a program Norvell introduced to recognize academic achievement.

Norvell spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at Memphis, compiling a record of 38-15, including the 2019 American Athletic Conference championship and a spot in the New Year’s Six Cotton Bowl. His 71.7 winning percentage was the highest in Memphis history, and included wins over Power Five opponents Ole Miss, 25th-ranked UCLA and Kansas. Memphis was the first school to appear in three straight American Athletic Conference Championship Games, and Norvell is one of 16 head coaches in any conference to appear in three straight conference championship games. He is also one of only eight to make three conference championship game appearances in their first four years as a head coach.

Memphis was one of three FBS teams to rank in the top-15 nationally in scoring offense every year from 2016-19, along with Ohio State and Oklahoma. As an FBS offensive coordinator or head coach, Norvell and Lincoln Riley were the only individuals to coach a 1,000-yard receiver each season from 2013-19.

Memphis shined on special teams under Norvell as the Tigers were one of only two schools with at least one kickoff return touchdown each year from 2016-19, and their 11 kickoff return touchdowns over that span were the most in the nation. The 2019 team ranked second in the country in special teams efficiency by ESPN, trailing only Penn State which hired Norvell’s special teams coordinator prior to the 2019 season.

The Tigers’ defense wreaked havoc on opponents, forcing 99 total turnovers and averaging 6.8 tackles for loss per game. Memphis scored 10 total defensive touchdowns under Norvell’s direction and was one of only six FBS teams with multiple defensive touchdowns every year from 2016-19.

In 2019, Norvell led Memphis to a school-record 12 wins and the program’s first outright conference championship since 1969. Norvell, who is the only coach in Memphis history with two 10-win seasons, produced two of the four 10-win seasons at the school and holds program records with eight wins in his first season, 18 over his first two, 26 in his first three and 38 in his first four seasons. He also holds the school record for the most wins over a three-year span with 30 victories from 2017-19 to bypass his 26 wins from 2016-18.

The Tigers ranked eighth in the nation with an average of 40.5 points per game and with an average of 6.90 yards per play. Their team passing efficiency of 167.41 and average of 14.91 yards per completion were both 10th in the country, while their third-down conversion percentage of 46.3 was 21st. Memphis ranked 20th with a team passing efficiency defense rating of 115.36, averaged 7.0 tackles for loss per game, the 25th-best average in America, and ranked in the top-six in kickoff returns, blocked punts and blocked kicks. ESPN ranked Memphis 10th in offensive efficiency and 20th in team efficiency.

The 2019 Tigers produced a program-record 14 all-conference selections, including co-Special Teams Player of the Year Antonio Gibson and Rookie of the Year Kenneth Gainwell, in addition to Mortell Award winner Preston Brady as the national holder of the year. Gibson’s average of 28.8 yards per kickoff return ranked sixth in the country, while Gainwell ranked ninth with 150.54 all-purpose yards per game and 12th with an average of 6.42 yards per rush. Brady White, named a finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Award, ranked in the top-20 in FBS in passing yards per completion, yards per attempt, passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, passing yards per game and points responsibility. He had a streak of 11 straight games with at least two passing touchdowns, tied for the longest streak in AAC history, and was one of five quarterbacks in the nation with at least 11 multiple-touchdown games.

In 2018, Norvell’s team boasted the fourth-best rushing attack in the nation, averaging 279.9 yards per game with a school-record 3,919 total rushing yards and 48 touchdowns on the ground. He produced the first season in Memphis history with two 1,000-yard rushers, led by Doak Walker Award finalist and unanimous All-American Darrell Henderson. Henderson broke the NCAA record with an average of 8.22 yards per carry, and his 2018 average of 8.92 yards per carry was the highest for a season with a minimum of 200 carries in records dating back to 2000. The Tigers ranked fourth in the country with an average of 523.1 yards per game and 7.12 yards per play while also ranking seventh with an average of 42.9 points per game.

If 160.15 was sixth in the nation with a passing offense of 335.0 yards per game that was seventh. That year, Memphis forced 31 takeaways, good for third in the country, and ranked third with a turnover margin of plus-1.15 per game. The team’s average of 26.02 yards per kickoff return also ranked fourth. Anthony Miller earned consensus All-America honors after leading the NCAA with 18 receiving touchdowns and ranking third in the country with 96 receptions and 1,462 yards.

In his first year at the helm, Norvell immediately put his stamp on the program. Memphis ranked second in kickoff return defense, allowing only 16.04 yards per return, while boasting the nation’s fifth-best kickoff return average of 26.57 yards per return. The Tigers were the only team to rank in the top-17 of both categories in 2016. Memphis also forced 29 takeaways, the fifth-highest total in the country, and ranked in the top-15 in scoring offense, averaging 38.8 points per game, and passing offense at 304.4 yards per game.

The Tigers flourished academically under Norvell as well, posting single-year APR scores of 991 in 2018-19, 988 in 2017-18 and 976 in 2016-17. Under his guidance, the football team earned its highest grade-point average in program history in the fall of 2017. Through his first three years, 55 players earned their bachelor’s degree, including eight on the 2019 team.

Norvell took over at Memphis after four years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arizona State. The Sun Devils averaged 38.1 points per game and scored nearly 2,000 points in his four seasons. His 2014 offense gained 5,750 yards, 3,556 of those through the air, and ranked 13th in the nation with 34 touchdown passes. The 2013 team’s average of 39.7 points per game ranked 10th nationally.

Norvell spent one year as Pitt’s co-offensive coordinator, wide receivers coach and director of recruiting. From 2007-10 he coached wide receivers at Tulsa, adding passing game coordinator duties in 2009 and director of recruiting responsibilities in 2010. The Golden Hurricane had five 1,000-yard receivers under Norvell’s leadership, led by All-American Damaris Johnson. Johnson broke the NCAA record for career all-purpose yards with 7,796 and is one of four players in NCAA history with three seasons of at least 2,000 all-purpose yards.

Norvell was a four-year letterwinner at Central Arkansas and was inducted into the UCA Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He broke the school record with 213 career receptions and was second on the program’s all-time list with 2,611 receiving yards and an average of 4.6 catches per game. He helped lead the Bears to 33 wins in his four years, including an 11-3 mark in 2005. The next year, he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater.

Norvell earned two degrees from Central Arkansas, completing his bachelor’s degree in social science in 2005 and his master’s degree in training systems in 2007. Norvell and his wife, Maria, have a daughter, Mila.