Seminoles President’s Beg for Patience Misses the Mark

Florida State President Richard McCullough apparently believes now is the right time to ask the Seminole faithful for patience.

Whoever advised him to send that letter should be fired before Mike Norvell.

The Seminoles are 3-4, 1-3 in conference play, coming off back-to-back losses, including one to in-state rival Miami, and are 14th in the ACC with just over a month left in the season, despite, according to The Athletic’s “Does Your College Football Roster Cost $8M or $50M?,” having spent the fourth-most on their roster.

Norvell is also coming off back-to-back seasons in which Florida State won just seven games combined and failed to reach bowl eligibility in either year and hasn’t won a road game since November 2023.

Yet now is the right time to send a letter to tell fans the administration hears their concerns, sees their frustration, and shares their expectations, all while asking them to continue supporting the product on the field.

“We are not asking you to lower your expectations; we are telling you that we share and embrace them,” McCullough said in his plea.

The fact that Norvell is still leading the program while fans put together a GoFundMe to fly a “Fire Norvell” banner over Doak Campbell Stadium against Clemson paints a much different picture.

That picture shows the disconnect between the administration and fans over expectations and the consequences for failing to meet them.

Florida State was the gold standard of the ACC. From the 1992 season to 2005, Florida State won 12 of 14 conference championships. Since the 2015 season, the Seminoles have the same number of conference championships as Duke and Pitt: one.

Florida State has failed to make the College Football Playoff during Norvell’s tenure; the Seminoles only appearance came during the inaugural playoff in the 2014–15 season.

Norvell has produced just two winning seasons in six years, and 2026 could add another losing season to his record.

One championship, two winning seasons, and no playoff appearances in six and a half years. How can McCullough claim the administration shares and embraces the same expectations?

McCullough goes on to say how they’re “committed” to figuring out how to change the failures on the field and not accepting the results because they’re unacceptable.

“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.”

Don’t ignore the results, and don’t accept them. There’s always a "but".

“What we ask now is that you stand firmly behind our current student-athletes. Show them your support. Pack Doak Campbell Stadium for the remainder of this season,” McCullough said. “Our players show great commitment and effort every single day, and they deserve your continued support on and off the field.”

How can the president ask fans not to ignore the results and then, in the next breath, tell them to show their support and expect them to cheer as if everything is fine?

Why should fans continue to spend money on an unsuccessful product and support student-athletes who are paid, some very well, to play in Tallahassee despite failing to deliver on the field?

How can the administration claim it is committed to fixing the program when there is still no athletic director in place and the search has not even begun?

“We have been evaluating every aspect of our athletic organization, including defining the role, responsibilities and expectations for our ex-athletic Director,” McCullough said. “That work is nearing completion, which means we will be able to begin to search for a new athletic director soon.”

Then, after saying that players deserve fans’ support because of their commitment, he’s talking about the same student-athletes who, regardless of whether Norvell is let go or not, will show fans their support and commitment by entering the transfer portal at the end of the year.

Players and coaches are paid to produce an entertaining, successful product on the field. If they fail to deliver, why should anyone expect or ask fans to continue supporting them?

In this era of college football, the only thing they’re entitled to is a paycheck that doesn’t bounce.

When the product on the field has been anything but successful, with only brief moments of entertainment, why should fans continue to offer their support and donate their time or money when the return on investment hasn’t produced meaningful wins, let alone trips to the College Football Playoff?

What this letter appears to be is a list of excuses, attempting to explain to fans in attendance why they shouldn’t boo or call for Norvell’s job, while urging those who aren’t attending games to show up and support the athletes.

“This seems like a long way of saying, ‘Please don’t boo because we haven’t hired an AD or fired the coach,’” college football analyst Andy Staples said in a post on X.

The truth is Florida State fans don’t need a letter asking for patience while continuing to support this disappointing product.

What they need is an administration willing to make the hard decisions and hold coaches accountable for not meeting Florida State standards.

Asking fans for support is nothing more than asking them to keep paying for failure until McCullough and the university can prove they are serious about winning in Tallahassee.