The 2024 season is one such year that the Florida Seminoles’ head coach, Mike Norvell, will remember for the longest time. Not for the good reasons, ofcourse. Norvell walked on thin ice when it came to his head coaching role. After coming off with a 19-game winning streak in the 2023 season, the Seminoles went to losing six games back to back in 2024. Their overall record? 2-10! Alarming! That’s when midseason, Norvell’s buyout figures worth $63.8 million started to do rounds. But somehow, Seminoles could not afford the move. Now that he is here, good news comes in the way of the HC. Going by the buzz, Florida State might be the next stop for their Heisman winner alumnus’ little brother.
Well, the Florida State fans might still be missing their former quarterback and now New York Giants star Jameis Winston. He played two seasons for the Seminoles, 2013 and 2014. And in these two years racked up 7,964 yards and 65 touchdowns. Unimaginable! Jameis’ best feat came in 2013 when he set freshman records by passing for 3,820 yards and 38 touchdowns while leading No. 1 Florida State into the VIZIO BCS National Championship against Auburn. Plus, at 19 years and 342 days old, Jameis became the youngest Heisman Trophy winner. Sadly, Norvell was not lucky enough to witness his blockbuster chapter. But turns out he will be lucky to taste the Winston power. That’s because Florida is the mix for Jameis’ brother, 3-star wide receiver Jonah Winston, who is a top prospect in the 2026 class.
NEWS WR Jonah Winston will visit Florida State on April 19, he tells @On3sports
Jonah is the younger brother to Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston.
Read: https://t.co/MFMlQ0rjSS pic.twitter.com/Y0ouAt4miP
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) April 9, 2025
At the beginning of the year, he did drop a big update stating that FSU was one of the programs standing out in his recruitment. Now, he is all ready to take a step forward as Jonah is set to get down to Tallahassee for a spring visit on April 19. As per the On3 Industry Ranking, the wide receiver is the No. 531 overall prospect and No. 79 WR in the 2026 cycle. In Alabama, Jamies’ little brother is the No.20 player. Given the Seminoles’ 2024 season’s lackluster feat, it’s going to be a tough call for Norvell and Co. It gets tougher when the frontrunners are heavyweight schools like Auburn, UCF, and Ole Miss, who come off as the young chap’s top favorites. Now, no doubt, Florida State is privileged with a clear edge among the rest.
As Jonah confessed, “The one thing that makes FSU more unique than the other schools is I basically grew up at FSU. That’s where the game really started for me.” Having grown up with such a talented big brother like Jameis, he did imbibe some qualities. For instance, Jonah led Hoover in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns last season with 38 catches for 542 yards and three scores. He turned heads by carrying the pigskin 21 times for 152 yards and five touchdowns. Now, even if Norvell successfully lands Jameis’ brother Jonas, will he be able to get rid of his dark fate?
College football analyst sounds alarm for Mike Norvell
When Norvell stepped into Florida State, fans started to live by the hope that they, too, would have moments worth celebrating. But it did not take long to get their bubble burst. After all, the Seminoles witnessed a golden era under Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher, to some extent. And what did Norvell bring to the table? Only two sweet treats, two victories. One against LSU Tigers (45-24) and the other against Ole Miss Rebels (45-34). Against which he had signed an eight-year extension in the offseason worth $10 million per season. Not done, right?
That’s how analyst Bud Eliott chose to rain on Norvell’s confidence. If he is thinking about flipping the script this season, success is definitely not pulling an all-nighter. “Yeah, you can’t follow up a 2-10 year by going like 4-8 or 5-7.” The pressure got 10x more for Norvell’s tribe. As Eliott stated, “I think they’ll have to bounce back because they’ve done a decent job in the transfer portal. But I certainly don’t think they’re really building towards a national title. In the long term, it’s hard to see this being a great, long-lasting relationship.”
Meanwhile, while building his 2026 roster, Mike Norvell turned heads by following a strategy. As the class ranks 15th in the nation, all eight commits are in-state. They include four-star running back Amari Thomas. A group of blue-chip defensive backs in Vero Beach (Fla.) four-star ATH Efrem White, Tampa Plant four-star cornerback Darryon Williams among others. Now, will Jonah Winston be the missing piece to Norvell’s winning puzzle?
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