Florida State announced on Monday that it is holding off on any decisions about head coach Mike Norvell's future until the end of the season. That announcement does little to fix FSU's current four-game skid, but it does buy some time for all parties involved.

One of the biggest reasons Norvell still has his job after going 5-15 in his last 20 games is the massive buyout. It would cost FSU around $54 million to fire Norvell, according to the USA Today contracts database. Once you factor in his assistants and the cost of hiring a new staff, the price tag for letting Norvell go could top $100 million.

Obviously, FSU wants Norvell to work out. But if the season continues to tailspin, then FSU will almost certainly bite that bullet and let Norvell go at the end of November (if not sooner). However, giving him until the end of the season offers a chance for all parties to win.

If FSU can string together some wins out of the five unranked opponents on the schedule, Norvell could save his job, FSU could save $100 million, and the Seminoles could be back on track as a program. If that's going to happen, here are three key factors Norvell will have to address.

Wins and losses

This is the obvious one, but the calculus on what Norvell needs to do to save his job is largely based on the team's record at the end of the season. Without knowing the inner thoughts of Athletic Director Michael Alford, we'll assume the baseline, at minimum, is postseason eligibility: .500 or better.

After the 2-10 debacle in 2024, a winning record and a bowl appearance in 2025 would at least show that the program is building back in the right direction. A major bowl would be even better, and certainly isn't impossible. But if Norvell and FSU can't earn a winning record, then it may be that nothing else matters.

FSU is currently 3-4 with five games remaining. The only hope at the postseason is winning more games than you lose in the back end of the schedule. A 3-2 record in those five games gets FSU to 6-6 and in a bowl game a year after going 2-10. If FSU can somehow run the table from here, the Seminoles would be 8-4 and one of the hottest teams in the country, making the four-game losing skid look like a weird funk rather than a long-term trend.

None of the teams left on FSU's schedule are ranked. That would seem to be in FSU's favor, but three of FSU's four losses are to teams that were unranked at the time. Among those unranked upcoming opponents is a Clemson squad that started the season Top 5 and appears to be getting it together somewhat, and the Florida Gators, an in-state rival who just fired their head coach and will be playing for pride. Nothing is guaranteed.

The locker room

Program culture is almost as important as your record. Bad culture will be forgiven more readily than bad results, but the gap isn't large. 

A CBS Sports report on Sunday implied that Norvell may already be losing the locker room. Not only does that damage his hopes of turning things around in 2025, but it speaks poorly of his long-term potential at FSU.

Here's a portion of the CBS Sports report:

"Some believe Norvell's message is getting lost on his team. After the loss to Stanford, a source told CBS Sports that players were cracking jokes in the locker room about having to 'respond' yet again. 'Respond' is a common phrase for Norvell to his team as losses mount. CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello, who spent Saturday in the ACC replay center, said on the College Football Insiders that he could see Florida State's sideline in the All-22 camera view and was struck by the lack of player engagement."

Once you've lost the locker room, it's only a matter of time until you lose your job, too. Players being frustrated after a fourth consecutive loss isn't surprising. How they respond, to quote Norvell, will likely determine their head coach's future.

Recruiting

To be fair to Norvell, one elite player could potentially have been enough to swing FSU's record from 3-4 to 8-0. Two things were true in each of the losses: FSU's defense got shredded in the middle of the field, and FSU lost each game by one score.

Some blame goes on coaches, including defensive coordinator Tony White. But when you watch the game, it isn't usually a problem with players being out of position. They just aren't making the plays. The defense is an All-American linebacker away from changing the results of these losses, and that's the type of player FSU is expected to be able to sign.

Obviously, Norvell can't get anyone else on the roster this season. However, if he can show that he's bringing in the types of players one could reasonably expect to fill those holes, it would provide more concrete reasons for hope.

One of the keys here is the type of players Norvell recruits. He has been knocked the last couple years for his heavy use of the portal, bringing in new players that some think were just one-year rentals chasing paychecks. That mercenary style of transfer isn't likely to be a great locker room presence, especially when things get tough. Florida State traditionalists would like to see the program built through recruiting the country's best high schoolers.

It's a catch-22, because transfers are more likely to be ready for action immediately, whereas high school players may need more time to develop. For a coach on the hot seat, there may not be time to wait. Norvell will need to show that he has a healthy mix of both types of players going into the early signing period for high schoolers and the winter portal window for transfers. 

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