Florida State president Richard McCullough put out an open letter to Seminole fans today, and it reads like a man who has been getting a lot of phone calls.
"I hear you. I understand your frustration. And I share your expectations for Florida State Football and Seminole Athletics," McCullough opened.
He acknowledged the questions fans are asking: whether leadership understands the seriousness of the moment, whether anything is happening behind the scenes, and whether there is a plan. He called those fair questions and said the university is "methodically working on a plan that positions Florida State for sustained success."
"Would we like this work to move faster? Absolutely," he wrote. "But meaningful, lasting change requires us to make the right moves in the right order, at the right time."
Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford on September 14 and named senior associate athletics director Bruce Warwick interim AD, with the school saying a national search would follow, per WFSU. Six weeks later, that search has not started. McCullough wrote that the university has been "defining the role, responsibilities, and expectations for our next Athletics Director," that the work "is nearing completion," and that the search will begin "soon."
Mike Norvell's name does not appear anywhere in the letter.
Norvell is 10-21 since winning the 2023 ACC title, according to ESPN.
If it seems like these kind of statements have become commonplace Tallahassee, you're not wrong. At the end of last season, McCullough announced he would return for 2026 with a restructured personnel department and more resources. The Seminoles went 2-10 in 2024 and 5-7 in 2025.
Florida State is 3-4 this fall. The Seminoles led Alabama in Tuscaloosa before losing 50-36, then lost 44-20 at Louisville on October 9. The Cardinals rushed for 397 yards and six touchdowns and outscored FSU 44-6 over the final three quarters, per Yahoo Sports, extending Florida State's streak to 11 straight true road losses.
On October 17, Florida State took #3 Miami to double overtime before losing 43-35 at Hard Rock Stadium. A deep touchdown to Micahi Danzy in the second overtime came back on a holding call, and the final play, an Ashton Daniels throw to Duce Robinson along the end zone sideline, was ruled an interception and upheld on review. Norvell called the ending "just sick."
Norvell's eight-year extension, signed before the 2024 season, runs through 2031. Sportico put the cost of firing him without cause before December 31, 2026 at roughly $51 million. The person that takes the AD job inherits that dark cloud.
"We are not asking you to lower your expectations. We are telling you that we share and embrace them," McCullough wrote. "We are not asking you to ignore the results. We are committed to changing them. And we are not asking you to believe that everything is fine. We know it isn't."
He closed by asking fans to pack Doak Campbell Stadium for the rest of the season and stand behind the current players, who he said "show great commitment and effort every single day."
That part is more than fair to say. The kids in that locker room aren't the ones that wrote (or agreed to) the buyout, and they were a sideline catch away from beating the #3 team in the country on the road ten days ago.
Leadership says a plan exists, asks for patience, and asks you to keep showing up. Florida State fans have heard a version of it before, and the first concrete step, the AD search, still hasn't started.
Florida State faces Clemson on Saturday.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
