Jordan Travis makes emotional admission about Mike Norvell’s firing at Florida State

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Jordan Travis began his remarks on Mike Norvell’s firing on the newest episode of Travis Take Two, released Friday, by thanking Norvell, Norvell’s wife, Maria, and their daughter, Mila, by name. Travis hosts the podcast with his brother, former MLB second baseman Devon Travis, and the conversation turned heavier from there.

The Florida State Seminoles fired Norvell on Sunday, Nov. 1, about 12 hours after a 36-24 home loss to the Clemson Tigers dropped them to 3-5. Norvell finished 41-39 in Tallahassee. Rick Stockstill, a former Seminoles quarterback who was on Norvell’s staff, takes over as interim coach for Saturday’s game at the Boston College Eagles.

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Travis broke his left leg against the North Alabama Lions on Nov. 18, 2023, with Florida State sitting at 10-0. The injury ended his college career, and it ended his pro career after one season with the New York Jets.

Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis was hurt during a Nov. 18 game against North Alabama.Oct 18, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell celebrates with defensive back Earl Little Jr. (0) during the first quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

“You guys are like family to me and my family, and forever will be. Things won’t change. I’ll always be visiting Mike Norvell wherever he’s at. Yeah, bro. It’s definitely been a tough week, especially sitting, bro. This is something that you’re not gonna agree with, but it sits on me a little bit heavy, bro. I carry so much weight on my shoulders. Obviously, that ’23 season, me breaking my leg. If I don’t break my leg, bro, Mike Norvell is still at Florida State, I believe. I believe that we compete for national championships for the next few years. These past few years, the record’s completely different. If we go to the playoffs that year and go to the championship, we have a lot more money here at Florida State and a lot more attention. Mike Norvell is still at Florida State today, so I carry a lot of weight of that. So that always sucks, and you know how I am. I’m always gonna take the blame for things like that. But it sucks. It’s very, very true. If my leg does not break, Mike Norvell would still be at Florida State, I believe. But it is what it is,” Travis said.

 

Florida State finished 13-0 with an ACC title that season and still missed the four-team College Football Playoff. Then-selection committee chair Boo Corrigan tied the decision directly to the quarterback who was no longer on the field.

“Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks,” Corrigan said.

On Dec. 3, 2023, the day the field was announced, Travis posted an apology to Florida State fans. “I wish my leg broke earlier in the season so y’all could see this team is much more than the quarterback,” Travis wrote. Nearly three years later, the guilt he described that day has grown from a lost playoff spot into a lost job.

 

What actually cost Mike Norvell the Florida State job?

In January 2024, weeks after a 63-3 Orange Bowl loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, Florida State agreed to an eight-year deal that pays Norvell more than $10 million per year. The undefeated season earned him that contract without a playoff appearance, and the same contract is why firing him now costs the school nearly $50 million.

The Seminoles went 2-10 in 2024, 5-7 in 2025 and are 3-5 this fall, a 10-22 stretch since Travis’ last season. The starting quarterbacks across that run were DJ Uiagalelei, Tommy Castellanos and Ashton Daniels, all picked by Norvell, and Florida State has not beaten the Miami Hurricanes, the Florida Gators or Clemson since 2023. Florida State president Richard McCullough pointed to that slide when he explained the move.

“This is a big business decision. It’s the future, the fate of Florida State football. It’s the legacy that we have at Florida State and trying to get it right. That demands excellence on the field. And a trajectory going in the right direction. I’m just not seeing that trajectory,” McCullough said.

Dec 30, 2023; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis (13) looks on prior to the game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the 2023 Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY SportsOct 17, 2026; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell during the first quarter against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Travis’ leg cost Florida State a playoff berth in 2023, and the man who ran the committee said so publicly. The trajectory McCullough described was built over three seasons and three starting quarterbacks after Travis left, by a program that had already paid Norvell for the year Travis gave him. Travis is owed far more credit for that year than blame for what followed it.

“I know Mike Norvell keeps his faith first, and that’s another thing I would always appreciate about Mike Norvell. After every single win or every single loss, Mike Norvell led us in a prayer, and that’s so big. It just showed me what was important in life. Football is one thing, but my faith in Jesus Christ, and Mike Norvell’s faith in Jesus Christ, kept me going. It reminded me that it’s always bigger than football, and I know Mike Norvell is okay today when he woke up, because he knows he has Jesus Christ on his side,” Travis said.

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