NIL Refund? Put A Fork In Them, Florida State Seminoles Are Officially Done After Losing To Memphis

Florida State entered today's game against Memphis desperately needing a win to turn the out-of-control train around, but Seminole fans were once again subjected to a disappointing result in Tallahassee. 

One thing is abundantly clear following the 20-12 loss to Memphis on Saturday afternoon, the season is now a wash, and Mike Norvell can no longer hang his hat on the undefeated regular season of 2023. While most Florida State fans thought this would be a year that the team would reload in the transfer portal and find success, it's been the complete opposite. 

If you are a part of the NIL collective at Florida State, you have to be furious at the amount of money spent on this 2024 roster, with reports saying it costs more than $10 million for this season alone. I think it's obvious that the return on investment came up short, in a major way. 

In what most certainly was a sign of the times, the fire alarm went off during the Mike Norvell postgame press conference, which just makes the entire situation even crazier. 

For a team that entered the season ranked 10th in the polls, that looks like a drastic overreaction to who the Seminoles added to their roster in the off-season. The problem is not just DJ Uiagalelei, though he will take the brunt of the blame. No, FSU fans should be infuriated with Mike Norvell for deciding that he was the guy to lead this team after losing their opening games of the season. 

Also, this was a massive win for the Memphis Tigers, as they beat their former coach in Mike Norvell. 

We all heard the fans chanting for backup QB Brock Glenn during the previous game, but Mike Norvell decided to stick with DJ U, hoping that a light would go-off in the head of the starting quarterback. Unfortunately, Norvell cannot go back in time, and the mistakes on both sides of the ball have led to an 0-3 start for the season. 

Simply put, Florida State overspent on NIL and the transfer portal, while trying to manage the payroll for returning players. They decided not to spend the money needed to land Cam Ward, and let Miami purchase the quarterback that is paying-off in South Florida. 

So, there is blame to go around, but all of this ultimately lies at the feet of Mike Norvell and his staff. 

Florida State Fans Will Check Out, And I Don't Blame Them

After the regular season of 2023 that saw Florida State on the doorstep of the college football playoff, the following season has been a total disaster. For the fans, if you choose to check out on this squad, I don’t think the folks inside the athletic department would blame you. Judging by the crowd size on Saturday, this has already started, and it won't get any better. 

Losing to Georgia Tech in the season-opener is one thing, but dropping the past two games against Boston College and Memphis is the disaster that Mike Norvell could not avoid. Who knows, maybe if he would've started the backup it would've sparked the team, but the only way we find out now is if Norvell pulls the trigger this week. 

I mean, look at the Florida State ‘crowd’ that surrounded the Memphis section. 

Unfortunately, it's too late. The season is over, there will be no college football playoff redemption tour, or even a chance to play for an ACC title, even though that's still a possibility. But there are some players on this football team that looked as though they had already thrown in the towel. 

As the final pass of the day from DJ Uiagalelei fell to the ground, it's the second time in five seasons that Florida State has started the season 0-3. 

So much for the college football playoff redemption tour, which honestly ended two weeks ago, but fans could start demanding refunds now. 

I hope the Seminoles' administration hasn't sent out those donation emails for the 2025 season.