It is hard to imagine a season worse than Florida State’s 2024 campaign. Coming off a good ACC championship run, the Seminoles entered the new year ranked in the top ten and expected to chase the title. Instead, Mike Norvell’s squad ended the season with a 2–10 overall record, including a miserable 1–7 mark in ACC play.
This free fall got much more painful when FSU lost to Duke for the first time in program history. Not only did they fail to be bowl-eligible, but they were also the first-ever CFP-era team to go from double-digit wins to double-digit losses. As the 2025 season approaches,s though, Norvell has made some big changes and has broken a record that no one saw coming.
Florida State Football Posts Highest GPA In Program History
While Florida State was falling apart on the field, they were quietly earning wins in the classroom. In Spring 2025, the Seminoles notched a 3.31 team GPA. That is the highest semester GPA in program history. The same squad that was struggling with points on Saturdays was apparently acing academic finals.
📚 Spring 2025 produced the BEST semester GPA in program history!#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/CpbnfIMXB8
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) May 20, 2025
FSU Football took to X to share this milestone. In a season that left little to nothing to celebrate, this GPA bump is definitely something. This milestone also speaks quite a bit about the culture Mike Norvell is trying to build.
Whatever has been said about the scoreboard aside, it is not easy to foster discipline, accountability, and effort when everything’s falling apart. Speaking of rebuilding, from what went down in the offseason, it seems like Norvell has been working on the field side of things, too.
The transfer portal was Norvell’s sandbox. Florida State landed 23 transfer commits, including big names like four-star CB Jeremiah Wilson from Houston and wide receiver Duce Robinson from USC. There are also names like QB Jaylen King, RB Gavin Sawchuk, and OL Ja’Elyne Matthews joining the Mike Norvell squad.
But in the NIL era, there’s always someone leaving, too.
Florida State lost WRs Hykeem Williams, Jalen Brown, and Jordan Scott; OLs Jaylen Early and TJ Ferguson; and DLs Aaron Hester and D’Nas White. But instead of plugging holes, Norvell chose to rebuild the roster. And that was a critical move considering the on-field mess of 2024.
KEEP READING: College Football Insider Raises Warning for Mike Norvell’s Florida State Amid Risky 2025 QB Gamble
The Seminoles last season were knee deep in inconsistencies in execution, untimely injuries, and a complete breakdown of fundamentals. At one point, they even cycled through multiple quarterbacks trying to find answers, only to end up with more questions. But now, the table’s set.
Florida State and Mike Norvell have cleaned their house, upgraded the talent, and built a culture that thrives even when the wins don’t come easily. The GPA might just be a start. One that shows that the Seminoles haven’t quit and maybe, just maybe, this could be the year of comebacks for them.
2025 won’t be easy, but if Florida State can pair classroom focus with gridiron play, there’s a good chance that the world will be talking about more than just grade point averages this time next year.
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