Getty Image / Don Juan Moore
The Florida State Seminoles and head coach Mike Norvell announced a major initiative on Monday. In an effort to boos the athletics program and bring the program back to prestige after the worst year in FSU Football history, Mike Norvell announced a $4.5 million donation to the Vision of Excellence fundraising campaign after FSU and Norvell restructured a 1-year portion of his contract.
Florida State famously missed the College Football Playoffs last year after going undefeated in the regular season and winning the ACC Championship. The Playoff Selection Committee then opted to snub FSU from the 4-team playoff after FSU lost its quarterback Jordan Travis to an injury. That created a ripple effect of a record number of players sitting out in the Noles’ bowl game against Georgia, a dip in recruiting, a transfer portal exodus, and it funneled into this season where FSU finished dead last in the ACC and went 2-10 on the season.
After the Noles had hit rock bottom and lingered there for months, Mike Norvell announced firings/hirings with former Auburn HC Gus Malzahn taking over at offensive coordinator in Tallahassee. And now there’s this announcement which reaffirms Mike Norvell’s commitment to the program.
In a statement from the Seminoles, head coach Mike Norvell said:
“I presented this to our administration in an effort to boost the support of our student-athletes while recognizing that the results and expectations need to be upheld to the highest level. I wanted to be proactive in my financial assistance through this time of transition as we all push forward to get back to the standard of Florida State football. Great days are ahead, and I’m grateful to coach these players and lead this staff. We have been hard at work to uphold the tradition here at Florida State, and I believe this step will help accelerate the process to where I know we are going.”
Florida State’s ‘Vision of Excellence’ fundraising initiative is tied to the Seminoles Boosters. According to FSU, it “represents a bold and immediate step forward in FSU’s commitment to providing the best resources for student-athletes and ensuring the continued growth of Seminole Athletics. From state-of-the-art facilities to enhanced training programs, the fundraising effort will make a profound impact on all aspects of Florida State athletics.”
Mike Norvell Isn’t The Only Head Coach Do Donate Millions In Recent Weeks
Interestingly, this announcement that Norvell has restructured 1-year of his contract to donate $4.5 million to the Vision of Excellence initiative follows a trend from other prominent coaches. LSU’s Brian Kelly recently did something similar in a circuitous way.
Brian Kelly and his family created the ‘Kelly Family Million Dollar Match Challenge’ where they would match NIL donations, up to $1 million, to LSU’s Tiger Athletic Foundation’s AD’s Excellence Fund. Coaches cannot contribute directly to their program’s NIL fund so Kelly found this clever loophole to boost LSU’s NIL contributions by matching donations elsewhere.
And in the case of Mike Norvell, it’s not strictly altruistic. Norvell receives an annual salary of $9.9 million. The $4.5 million donation to FSU’s Vision of Excellence initiative represents less than the IRS’ 60% maximum allowable Charitable Contribution Deductions.
As an FSU alumnus and lifelong Seminoles fan, I do believe Mike Norvell has it in him to turn the program around. Additionally, I do believe that Norvell wants to see the program succeed for reasons beyond just his own career and those are the primary factors for his restructured contract to make this $4.5 million donation possible.
Will it work for the Seminoles? Only time will tell.