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| Mike Norvell | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mike Norvell |
| Birth date | May 8, 1981 |
| Birth place | Massillon, Ohio |
| Current team | Florida State Seminoles |
| Position | Head coach |
| Alma mater | Arizona State University |
| College played | Arizona State Sun Devils |
Mike Norvell
Michael Norvell (born May 8, 1981) is an American college football coach who serves as head coach of the Florida State Seminoles. He previously held head coaching responsibilities at the Memphis Tigers and served as an assistant at programs including the Arizona State Sun Devils, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Pittsburgh Panthers, Arizona Wildcats, and UCF Knights. Known for offensive innovation and program building, he has been part of teams competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, American Athletic Conference, and Pac-12 Conference.
Norvell was born in Massillon, Ohio and raised in a region renowned for high school football, including the Massillon Tigers program and the Ohio High School Athletic Association traditions. He attended Washington High School where he played quarterback and lettered for teams competing against programs like Boardman and Jackson. Norvell walked on at Arizona State University and became a member of the Arizona State Sun Devils from 2000 to 2003 under head coaches including Bruce Snyder's successor regimes and staff connected to Dirk Koetter's coaching tree. As a student-athlete he earned a degree from Arizona State and remained connected to the Pac-10 Conference era of the program.
Norvell began his coaching trajectory at the collegiate level as a graduate assistant and position coach within the Pac-10 Conference and subsequently joined staffs across several regions. Early roles included offensive support positions with the Arizona Wildcats and a coordinator/assistant role with the Oklahoma State Cowboys under staff linked to Mike Gundy. He later served on the staff at Pittsburgh where he coached skill positions and participated in recruiting battles within the Big East. Norvell then joined UCF under George O'Leary's lineage before rejoining Arizona State as an offensive assistant. He was hired by Memphis as offensive coordinator following a stint assisting Nick Saban-connected mentors and worked within schemes influenced by coaches from the Southeastern Conference and ACC networks.
In 2016 Norvell was appointed head coach at Memphis, succeeding Justin Fuente, and led the program to multiple Birmingham Bowl and Boca Raton Bowl berths while competing in the American Athletic Conference. Under his leadership Memphis achieved top-25 rankings and victories over opponents from the Big 12 Conference and ACC, improving recruiting across Tennessee and the Southeastern United States. In 2019 he accepted the head coaching position at Florida State University and became head coach of the Florida State Seminoles, a program with historic ties to Bobby Bowden, Jimbo Fisher, and the Atlantic Coast Conference. At Florida State he managed roster turnover while competing against rivals such as the Florida Gators, Clemson Tigers, and Miami Hurricanes in conference play and bowl-eligible campaigns. His seasons included notable victories, stylistic transitions, and engagement with national bowl games and postseason narratives involving the College Football Playoff era and the ACC Championship Game context.
Norvell's offensive philosophy draws on pro-style and spread principles influenced by coaching trees that include Dirk Koetter, Mike Norvell (as a coach)-related mentors, and innovators connected to the Air Raid and modern tempo offenses. His staffs emphasize pace, RPO concepts popularized in the Big 12 Conference, and route concepts used by coaches from the Pac-12 Conference and SEC adaptions. Defensively his teams have collaborated with coordinators versed in schemes from the 3–4 defense and multiple-front approaches that echo work from programs like Alabama and Ohio State. Recruiting strategy under Norvell has targeted talent pipelines in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and the Southeast United States, leveraging relationships with high school programs such as DeSoto and St. Thomas Aquinas. He places emphasis on player development, combinatorial analytics trending in the NFL and collegiate recruiting, and cultural-building practices reflecting norms from successful programs like Clemson and LSU.
Norvell is married and has children; his family has been involved with community initiatives tied to the universities where he has coached, including charitable work aligned with Second Harvest Food Bank chapters and local foundations connected to Memphis, Tennessee and Tallahassee, Florida. He has participated in events with institutional partners like university alumni associations and booster organizations, and engaged with media outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, and The Athletic for interviews and coverage. Norvell's personal network includes fellow coaches and former players who have advanced to staff positions across the Power Five conferences.
Norvell's tenure as a head coach is noted for revitalizing programs and recruiting classes that elevated team performance in the American Athletic Conference and the ACC. Honors include coach of the week recognitions within conference contexts and invitations to national coaching symposiums alongside recipients of the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award and attendees from the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year circles. His influence is reflected in coaching assistants who progressed to coordinator and head coaching roles within the NCAA Division I FBS landscape, and in sustained contributions to program branding at institutions including Memphis and Florida State.
Category:American football coaches Category:Florida State Seminoles football coaches Category:Memphis Tigers football coaches