There were some encouraging signs in this loss to a top-five team, but also some indicators that the Hokies are still far away from where they want to be. In today’s Monday Thoughts, I’ll look at both sides of the so-close-but-so-far coin.

A Brief FSU Recent History Lesson

It’s illuminating to look at Florida State’s rebuild under Mike Norvell since he took over for Willie Taggart at the start of the 2020 season. Prior to hiring Norvell, the ‘Noles went 18-20 from 2017-2019. 2017 was under Jimbo Fisher, who left when the ‘Noles were 5-6 and on their way to a 7-6 finish. 2018 (5-7) and most of 2019 (6-7) were under Taggart.

In the 2020 COVID year that affected programs differently, Norvell went 3-6 with wins over FCS Jacksonville State and a 2-9 Duke team.

In 2021, the Seminoles started out with four straight losses, including one to Jacksonville State, and Norvell’s FSU record at that time stood at 3-10.

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