Immediately following the loss to the Miami Hurricanes in early Nov., Willie Taggart was fired as Florida State University’s head coach after only two seasons, with Odell Haggins stepping in and serving as an interim head coach throughout the rest of the 2019 football season. Since Taggart’s departure, FSU football fans have been eager to learn who will take his spot and on Sunday, Dec. 8, it was announced that Mike Norvell will be taking the job.
Courtesy: FSU Football Instagram
Regarding his new position at FSU, Norvell said, “I’m humbled and honored for the opportunity to be the head coach at Florida State University, one of the iconic brands in college football.” It’s also clear that Norvell is already looking ahead and preparing for next season. He shared, “I’m so very excited for the future and the opportunity to return Florida State football to one of the nation’s elite. I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running, putting together a great signing class, a tremendous coaching staff and joining arms with our current and former players to help elevate our football program each and every day.”
Mike Norvell comes from Memphis, where he led the Tigers for a total of four seasons, with the most recent season resulting in an American Athletic Conference championship. According to Seminoles, as a coach, Norvell has a .717 winning percentage and ranks 10th among active FBS level coaches with a minimum of four years of experience. Regarding his personal football career, he was a wide receiver for the University of Arkansas between 2001 and 2005, and is the school’s all-time receptions leader to date. Many FSU staff within the athletic department and across the university as a whole believe Norvell surpasses all of the necessary qualifications to lead the team back to greatness.
Many football fans, FSU students and faculty have voiced their excitement over Norvell’s arrival. President John Thrasher took to Twitter, saying, “I’m so pleased to welcome Mike Norvell and his family to FSU! If you heard Coach Norvell speak today, you couldn’t help but be inspired by his energy, enthusiasm, and experience. It’s a new day for Florida State Football, and I’m excited about the future!”
Courtesy: FSU Football Instagram
The entire Tallahassee community is looking forward to the change within the football program with Norvell leading the way, especially after the press conference and half-time basketball game appearance this last weekend. Madison Social, a popular local eatery in Collegetown, tweeted to show the community’s excitement, stating, “Just listened to Norvell’s presser again and chopped down a tree, ran a Marathon, and built a house in like 12 minutes. Pumped is an understatement. We are going to need him to record some morning motivation wake up calls.”
As this year’s football season winds down now that the new head coach announcement has officially been made, many Tallahassee community members are looking forward to a promising season next year with hopes of Norvell leading the team to elite status once again.
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