FSU coach Mike Norvell sees growth but wants more consistency from Seminoles
Mike Norvell has seen a steady amount of growth in the Florida State program in the 16 months since his arrival. But as the Seminoles wrap up their final week of spring football camp, the second-year coach wants to see more consistency out of his team.
“When you look at the big picture comparison to what we’ve done in the past to where we are now, it’s much improved,” Norvell said following practice Tuesday. “But our standard needs to be the best that we possibly have every single rep and there were too many moments today whether it’s on body language, whether it was accelerating through the finish on every play … It wasn’t consistent play in and play out to what you want.”
Norvell has been upbeat about the team’s progress through the first 13 practices of camp, but after a sluggish performance on Tuesday, he hoped to see more out of the group.
“I want our standard to be what I want our identity to be, so yes, there were positive moments. Yes, there was a positive response,” said Norvell. “But you know, we want to be consistent and the only way you get consistent is to practice consistency.
“It’s better than probably a majority of the things we’ve done up to this point this past year, but for our standard the expectation is a lot better.”
FSU suffered from not having a complete spring camp last season after the school shuttered campus due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Without the luxury of spring and summer workouts, the Seminoles looked nothing like a perennial powerhouse in Norvell’s first season.
But the players embraced the offseason conditioning program and it’s paying dividends this spring.
“Anytime you go out there and practice, improvement has to show up,” added Norvell. “Our daily approach, our daily objective is to get better. To do that, you’ve got to give all that you have.
“For most spring ball, I’ve seen that show up in good situations and in bad. Our guys are developing that mentality thing today.”
Spring game format set
The Seminoles will conclude spring camp with their annual Garnet and Gold spring game Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. Gates open at 4 p.m. with the kickoff set for 5.
“This year, we’re going to keep it offense versus defense through two quarters,” Norvell said of the game’s format. “We have some injuries and we’re a little thin at some positions, which would make it extremely challenging to break up into two teams.
“We’re going to play it for the first half and then we’re going to wrap it up with a grand finale with a couple of guest coaches that are going to come in and be a part of adding a competitive edge to the end of it.”
The game will air on the ACC Network.
“I think it’ll be a great experience for our guys and all the Seminoles family to be able to come and pack into Doak Campbell and see our guys and the growth we’ve had,” added Norvell.
Shannon a perfect fit
FSU brought on former UCF defensive coordinator Randy Shannon as a senior defensive analyst this week, a move Norvell said provides the Seminoles with an experienced coach who can provide an outsider perspective to the program.
“Coach Shannon is a coach I have a tremendous amount of respect for,” said Norvell. “Having an opportunity to get him here as an analyst, to be able to work with our coaches and to be able to have a different perspective in all aspects, you’re excited about what he brings to our staff.
“We talk about the fit, we talk about what we’re looking for, whether it’s in recruiting or hiring coaches, and Randy Shannon is an incredible fit for our staff.”
While Norvell didn’t have a personal connection to Shannon, he was more than aware of his body of work having faced his defenses several times during his time at Memphis.
“We have competed against each other and that probably helped contribute to the respect I have for him in all aspects,” added Norvell.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com.