Warchant TV: Norvell takes podium at press conference (w/ transcript)

Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell was introduced at the Dunlap Champions Club in Doak Campbell Stadium on Sunday afternoon where he outlined his approach, the appeal of FSU and his immediate recruiting plans. In two parts below, Norvell is introduced by president John Thrasher and athletics director David Coburn and then takes questions from the assembled media. Norvell did not commit to his coaching plans for the bowl game.

CYBER MONDAY EXTENDED: ** Get 50% off a new Warchant subscription **

PRESIDENT THRASHER: Good afternoon, everybody. Good afternoon, Coach Norvell, and your lovely wife Maria. What a wonderful, wonderful day for Florida State University.

Thank you all for joining us today. It's special, special to have all of you here. As you know, we're here to introduce our new head football coach. From Florida State's standpoint, I want to congratulate you on winning the AAC (American Athletic Conference) championship and taking your team to the Cotton Bowl.

Before I do so, I want to take a few moments to express my appreciation to David Coburn. David and I have been on a journey the last couple of weeks, a few journeys, around the country, places I had never been. The press reported about places I will never go to (smiling). That's all right. Everything turned out all right.

But I appreciate David's involvement in the thorough search, his incredible, deep attention to detail.

When you have what we believe is still the best coaching job in America, the search is not really easy. I also want to thank my chairman, chairman of our Board of Trustees, Ed Burr, for his support, his counsel, and his incredible guidance during this period of time.

Also want to thank chairman of the board Seminole Boosters Bob Davis, Andy Miller, Jimmy Graganella. I was never short on advice, I promise you that (smiling).

I want to thank obviously all the Seminole Boosters who are here. I know many of them are here. Coach, you'll get to know them as you get involved a little bit more.

We have an exciting group of Seminole Boosters. They're passionate, they care about this university, they care about the future of our football program. I believe they will find very quickly that our football program is in excellent hands with Coach Norvell.

By the way, Coach Norvell and I and David have spent over four hours together. That doesn't sound like a lot of time in life, but when you're hiring a football coach, I promise you, it's a heck of a long time.

I watched his passion. I watched his interest in this university, in the young men who are here, obviously the young men who he's leaving behind in Memphis. I also watched him do X's and O's. I can actually call a couple plays now, I really can. Coach Norvell taught me (laughter). Fantastic job of demonstrating his incredible ability to call offensive plays. I think we saw it last night.

In terms of the search itself, before I leave, I wanted to talk about Odell. Odell Haggins. I love Odell, I know you do, too. He's an incredible man. He's an extraordinary leader of young people, of our student-athletes, the program itself.

He came forward for the second time when we needed him the most. He performed with great, great ability and great pride for this university, great caring for the young men who were on our football team.

Odell, he's not here right now, but I hope all of you will join me in thanking him for everything he's done.

In terms of the search itself, I think we saw an imaginative side of our media, particularly the social media, over the past three weeks in terms of understated rumors. But I can assure you that the search, the search itself, was professionally done. It has resulted in what I believe will be an incredible coach for Florida State University.

I want to thank, he's right there on the front row, Glenn Sugiyama, who came to us from Chicago from an internationally known firm (DHR International) that works in this business. He opened doors. He arranged visits that before we probably never would have had the opportunity to do without him.

It was a comprehensive search. We vetted a number of coaches from around the country. Glenn, thank you for everything you did. I appreciate it so much. That boy can eat, too. Believe it or not, he can eat (laughter).

Before I introduce David, I want to leave you with one other thing about that search. This gentleman right here, Coach Mike Norvell, was the only person that I offered the head coaching job for Florida State University to. I couldn't be prouder that he accepted it.

He matches our profile of an outstanding coach who shares our values at Florida State. He's earned the reputation for coaching players to not only be successful on the field but certainly in the classroom as well as in the community. I know he'll carry that over to Florida State.

I'm excited for you to meet him. At this time I would call on our athletic director, my good friend of many, many years, my constant companion during this search, David Coburn.

DAVID COBURN: Thank you.

I do want to start by thanking Jim Curry for his help in this search, and actually all the staff from the athletics department. A lot of people have worked a lot of hours these last three or four weeks. I really appreciate all of them.

Again, about Odell, the only thing bigger on Odell than his head is his heart. He's given everything to us. We really do appreciate Odell Haggins for everything.

Glenn, I'll say it again, thank you for your help, your professionalism. The breadth of your contacts made all the difference in the world. We couldn't have gotten it done without you. We really do appreciate you, man, really.

I have to tell you that this past month I've gotten an abject lesson in just how important this job is to this community. I got a haircut last week. Went home, Mary (Coburn) didn't like it. I said, That's what happens when you won't tell the barber who the head coach will be (smiling).

We had a lot of interest in this job, ladies and gentlemen. Coach Norvell was one of the first people we interviewed. He was the last one. In between we met with a lot of coaches. After every day of interviews, the President and I would sit down and say, Well, we kept coming back to the Norvell guy. From the very beginning, we really liked him. That impacted us the whole way.

Many of those coaches we talked to were impressive, but none of them were as impressive as this guy. I think when you see how driven he is, how intelligent he is, how passionate he is, you're going to be just as impressed as we are.

He's as organized as anyone I've ever met. He's thoughtful. He cares deeply about his players. Education and behavior are important to him. He pays attention to detail. He is truly a coach of the future. He is, in short, exactly what we need for this program at this time.

I would like to welcome his wife Maria and his daughter Mila to the Seminole family. Very glad to have you. It's now my pleasure to introduce the next head football coach at Florida State University, Coach Mike Norvell.

MIKE NORVELL: What an incredible day. I stand before you humbled and honored to be the head coach at Florida State University. This is a day that's been a wild one, so many emotions, so much excitement, so many thanks that I must pay tribute to, to all those that have been a part of making this a reality.

I can tell you this is an exciting day for Florida State football, the future, and what's to come. I can tell you that this is going to be an incredible journey. I am honored to join hand-in-hand, step-by-step, with all of the Florida State family in helping to take one of the most iconic brands and iconic programs in college football, and return it to where it's supposed to be.

I've got to start by thanking God for the opportunity, for providing me with the passion and the love for this great game. I've played football or coached football since I was five years old. It's really not what I do, it's who I am. It's been a part of that as I've grown up from peewee league football to coaching in a championship game yesterday. This game has been incredible for me.

The good Lord has provided me with that passion, that energy to approach every day with a true heart of service. Being able to serve those that I get to coach every day with, and the young men I get to coach and impact their lives on their journey to success.

Today I'm so grateful for the new platform. What an extraordinary place. Walking across that football field, there are no words. It was breathtaking. The hairs on my neck, hairs on my arm, they are all at full attention. This is a special place. This is a special time. It is a special opportunity.

So I thank God that He's put me here in this position to help impact all of the Florida State family.

To my family, to all my loved ones, to everybody that's played a part in my growth and served and sacrificed for me to be where I'm at, I thank you. But especially to Maria and Mila. You mean so much to me. You've been with me step by step on this journey.

There's been so much sacrifice for our family because of the job that I have, what it takes to be fully invested. To the impacts we've made on coaches, on players, the impact you have made on me. I thank you for all that you do, for the love that we share, what we're going to do here together. Thank you.

To President Thrasher, David Coburn, Chairman Burr, to the Board of Trustees, to Glenn, this has been an incredible experience. To make a choice to join this program, this organization, it was an easy one because of you, because of the leadership, because of the passion, the direction and the support of everything that's been poured into this program over the years, but to the excitement about where we're going to go and where we are capable of going because of the great men that are leading this university.

I thank you for choosing me. I thank you for the experience of getting to know more about the true heart and soul of this Florida State family. I can promise you, I'm going to make you proud with what I do every single day. But thank you for the opportunity.

To Memphis. What an incredible place. One of the hardest meetings I've ever had in my life was this morning when I talked to those players and I talked to those coaches. For the last four years, to be able to impact that program, those players, develop a staff, impact a community in every aspect. For all that I poured into that city, into that school, it poured just that much into me.

If I was to ever leave, it had to be for the right fit, for the right place. I'm so grateful for the four years that I had there, but I know this is a place and this is a time.

The city of Memphis, to that program, all the players, thank you for you what did. Thank you for believing in me, giving me my first opportunity. What we were able to accomplish in building that program, elevating that program to an all-time high. I thank you for your work, all that you meant to me.

To my former coaches, David Reese, coached me in peewee league football. To Mike Barber, who coached me in high school. To Clint Conque, who coached me in college. To Gus Malzahn who hired me as an offensive graduate assistant there at the University of Tulsa. To Todd Graham, who I spent nine years with as an assistant coach, gave me an opportunity to be a coordinator, to really live out my dream as a Division I assistant.

The impact you guys have made on my life in helping build me, develop me, support me through all the decisions that have been made, to my growth as a coach and as a person, I'm forever grateful for you. You are the reason why I do what I do. I can hopefully one day have players that look at me the way I look at you, respect you, for the jobs you did for me and my journey of growth. Thank you to those coaches.

To all of the past Seminoles, all the former players, to the lettermen, I thank you for what you've done. To the former coaches, the work that you put into this program, to build an incredible foundation, to one of the greatest football programs in the United States of America, I say thank you. We are going to do something special here because of the work that you've done.

To the current players, first thing I did when I got off that plane, sorry, I did not rush to come see you, I went to go see them. I thank the coaches for bringing them here, I thank those players for choosing to be Florida State Seminoles.

As I told them a few minutes ago, they chose to come here and I chose to be with them. They are now my players. They are now our future. I'm so very excited about standing side-by-side with them as we take each step to getting back to where Florida State football deserves to be.

That is an incredible group of young men that have been collected. We're excited about that group, what we're going to be able to accomplish with them.

But to the former players, I understand the responsibility that I have. I understand the obligation. I understand who I represent. I'm going to work each and every day to represent you in a first class fashion. We're going to do things the Nole way. That is competing to be excellent in every aspect of what we do.

I've got a saying I like to use: How you do anything in this world is going to be how you do everything. We're going to approach everything with a championship mindset, a championship approach, with championship values of doing things the right way. This program is going back to the top. We're going to take it one day at a time, step by step. Because of the foundation it's been laid, it gives us a great opportunity. So I thank all of the former players.

At this time I'd like to thank all the high school coaches in the state of Florida. Thank you for what you mean to this state. This is the most talent-rich state in the United States of America when it comes to football players and prospects. We have seen that over the years with all the former greats.

As I walk through the facility, you see the pictures, the Heisman trophies, the national championships. That all started with our high school coaches here in the state of Florida. Because of cultivating relationships, building young men that are passionate for success each and every day.

I'm so excited about the opportunity of getting to know you, of building relationships. Relationships take time.

It takes a commitment. But I am absolutely fired up about being able to extend my arms and open our doors for every high school coach in the state of Florida to come be a part of getting this program back to where it deserves to be. I thank you for the work that you do and look forward to seeing you here soon.

But it is a new day for Florida State. It's a new opportunity. I can tell you that we're going to bring a new age approach to everything that we do with old school values and an old school philosophy.

This is going to be a program that you have to work for everything. It's going to be a program that's built off true core family values of service, sacrifice and respect because we have an iconic brand, we have a special opportunity. It's going to take each and every one of us to be a part of that journey together to continue to elevate us to where we need to go.

As we take this first step together, we understand that it is a special day, it is a special opportunity. I can tell you that I'm going to give all that I have in every aspect to pour into these players, to pour into this community, to pour into this unbelievable university, to make sure that we're building it the right way, step by step, brick by brick, day by day.

I'm excited about the new age and the new day in Florida State football and what we're going to accomplish. There's a tradition of excellence here. There is a standard. That tradition is what brought me here. That expectation, an opportunity to compete at the highest level, to compete for championships.

We understand the process, we understand the work that's going to go into it. But I can tell you, you chose the right man to come be a part and to lead this program because we're going to work on that each and every day in all that we do.

I can tell you that this is going to be a program that's built for play-makers. This is going to be a program that is going to showcase all of the skills and talents of those young men that I talked about. We're going to do it by challenging them in every aspect to be the best person themselves each and every day.

I can tell you we're going to have a football team that's going to play with a certain focus, with a certain pride, understanding what we stand for and what we represent.

Our Seminole football team is going to play smart. I believe that is one of the most important things that I must do as a football team and a football program. We're going to have a football team that's focused on discipline, on structure, on making sure that we can be innovative in our approach schematically, but also we have a football team that understands the importance of the knowledge that they have.

Most people talk about playing fast. We're going to do that. But if you don't play smart, man, you can play fast going in the wrong direction and you're going backwards. We're going to have a team that understands that our knowledge will be our greatest talent, then we're going to play fast because of the confidence of who we are, what we do, how we train, and the unbelievable skill that we're going to recruit here to be able to showcase these great players and individuals.

We're going to have a football team that plays physical. Toughness is going to be displayed every single day. Not only physically, but mentally. You're going to see toughness displayed in special teams. I believe that is the backbone of your program. People can talk about offense and defense, but if you want to see a team that has tremendous culture, tremendous passion, tremendous belief in each other, watch them on special teams.

I was fortunate coming from Memphis, I remember when I took the job there, it had been 20 years since there had been a kickoff return for a touchdown. I stood in front of that team, the first thing I told them, I don't know what we're going to do on O, on D, but I guarantee we're going to take a kick back to the house for a touchdown.

Four years later we're the No. 1 team in the country with 11 returns for touchdowns because of buy-in, because of culture, because of toughness, young men willing to give of themselves for the betterment of the team. That's what we're going to stand for.

Lastly, we're going to be a football team that's passionate to finish everything that we do. They always talk about they remember what you do in November, right? We're going to finish games. We're going to finish plays. Our effort will be outdone by no one. We will play with tremendous passion, energy, and we will finish all that we do.

We're going to be a football team that understands how to respond to adversity. We're also going to be a football team that understands how to respond to success because success is coming. There are great days ahead. We have to understand the little steps of what it takes to get there, then what it takes to stay there at an elite level.

That is how we're going to play, that is what we're going to do. We're going to make you proud each step along of the way not only what we do on the field but what we do off of it.

I can tell you, I could not be more honored to stand in front of you, to have that opportunity to be a part of the Florida State football family.

I'm going to work extremely hard every single day to make you proud. Much like I just told those players, I'm not going to stand in front of you today asking for your trust. Just give me an opportunity to show you that I'm trustworthy. Give me an opportunity to show you with my actions what we're going to do, and more importantly how we're going to do it.

Thank you for the welcome. Thank you for the opportunity. I'm excited about the future of the Seminole football team. Thank you, guys.

I'll take any questions.

Q. These aren't the first folks that inquired about your availability while in Memphis. What was it specifically about this job that made you take the leap?

MIKE NORVELL: Whether it's recruiting, hiring coaches, making a choice on my future, it always comes down to two factors: fit and family. I can tell you that going through this process, there was one thing that was certain, Florida State was the right fit for me, right fit in every aspect, from the tradition it's had, the fan base, the opportunity to be in the greatest state when it comes to football talent, coaching, all the things that we can do. Unbelievable tradition and former players and support. With the team that I've had the chance to witness, this was the right fit for me and my family.

Then when you look at the opportunity to meet our leadership, after getting a chance to meet President Thrasher, David Coburn, Chairman Burr, I knew that this program was destined to greatness. It just needed the right leader.

Like I told them, I believe this was the absolute perfect place for me. It's why I chose to come and be a part of it.

Q. Obviously fewer than two weeks till the early signing period. What is your plan to attack the recruiting trail?

MIKE NORVELL: I'm starting right now. The minute I get off this stage, that's all of our focus. I've already actually met with two recruits since I've been here, so we've been pretty quick (laughter). Got a chance to shake hands, see them in passing.

It's an exciting time. There's a lot of buzz, a lot of focus on today. But the reality is, in recruiting it all comes

down to relationships. That's going to be something that has to be built. The great thing is I've done it before. When I look the job at my last institution, it was a quick turnaround as well. Had about the same amount of time to put together a class.

At the end of the day it's all about finding the right young men. You look at the young men that have been recruited, the guys that are committed. We're excited. We're excited about what the future holds. I can tell you that I'm looking forward to building relationships not only with those guys, but also spreading the good news about Florida State football and what's to come.

Q. When you take a look at this team, at the program, how quickly do you think you can get this program back to that championship caliber?

MIKE NORVELL: I can tell you I believe the sky's the limit for where we can go. But I also understand the journey that it's going to take. I can tell you, just like I told this football team, every single day my expectation and our passion will be to be the best version of ourselves.

Right now my focus is going to be on our personnel immediately, making sure we can bring the best coaching staff in college football to Tallahassee, to recruit at a high level, making sure we find the right young men to come in, then pour everything I have in recruiting our players that are on campus to understanding the expectations, the values of what it's going to take to get there.

I'm going to put no limitations on where we can go, how fast we can get there. All of our focus will be on today, being the best we can possibly be, with this step in front of us. We'll take care of tomorrow when it gets here trying to do the exact same thing.

Q. Talk about your recollections of your first memories of Florida State football as a young man. Also perceptions of Florida State today in the college football community.

MIKE NORVELL: Absolutely. I wasn't really going to talk about this, but as I told President Thrasher, I was 12 years old, I grew up in Dallas, Texas. There was only one thing that I had on my wall. It was my first piece of collegiate memorabilia. It was a 1993 license plate recognizing the Florida State football national championship.

This is a program that even for a kid in Dallas, Texas, has always been an iconic brand, a special place. This is an incredible, incredible opportunity. I know a lot of people talk about dreams. To be honest with you, I don't know if I would have ever dreamed to ever get this chance. We've worked for it and we're excited about the opportunity that's in front of us. It's going to be a special, special place for me and my family.

Q. Obviously recruiting is a big part of any program. You have a lot of kids that are committed right now. They don't have relationships yet with you. What will be your message to these kids? What is your message going to be overall to any kid in recruiting?

MIKE NORVELL: I think when you have such a short period of time, you have to really rely a lot on showing kids how they're going to be utilized, showing them what the opportunity holds.

The great thing, one of the most attractive things about this university, is you can get it all year. A top 20 academic institution in the country. You have an incredible place to live. You have an unbelievable brand, fan support, every aspect. This is where you want to be. This is where you need to be, knowing that you will be showcased at an elite level.

That's all I ever tell recruits and young men that are looking to bring into our program. This is a program built for play-makers. If they have any question about that, I have plenty of film, opportunities to show them how they'll be showcased, right?

They're going to make the choice, they're going to take the step, then we're going to elevate them to be able to make all of their dreams and goals become a reality because of the way we operate each and every day.

Q. Can you give us a timeline in terms of when they contacted you, how this came together? Do you intend to coach FSU or Memphis in the bowl?

MIKE NORVELL: The timeline was one that was unique. Obviously I was going through a season at Memphis. It worked out during our bye week I had a little bit of a time to be able to meet up with President Thrasher and the whole group. That was a great, great meeting, a great moment.

Being able to go through that process, it was challenging at times just because of all the obligations that everybody had, the timeline of what we knew we had to get this done to be with recruiting. Obviously I was excited about the opportunity.

Moving forward with decisions to coach in the bowl game or not, that's something I'm actually going to need a couple days to be able to make the best decision for that.

I had the meeting with the young men there in Memphis this morning. It was very emotional. They supported me 100%. It was one of the greatest feelings walking out of that meeting with those kids standing and giving me a round of applause. I love those guys.

But we have to make sure that it works for everybody with what needs to be done, what needs to be accomplished for both universities, to be able to move forward to the best of our ability.

Q. You mentioned you want to build the best staff possible here. What has been the key to your success identifying those young up-and-coming assistant coaches who go on to bigger and better jobs? Have you been in contact with any of your former assistants?

MIKE NORVELL: I think the key component to success in college football is evaluation. It's something that I take a great deal of pride in, evaluating coaches, evaluating players, then making sure when you are around them, you develop them to really be able to achieve at a level higher than where they started.

I've been so very fortunate. I've hired I think 26 coaches in the last couple years. When you look at the type of men that they are, that's going to be the number one deciding factor.

I want a coaching staff that are teachers first, relationship builders, then guys that can inspire our student- athletes to go above and beyond in every aspect of their life, to be able to live in that championship model on the field, off the field, in the classroom, to inspire them to be better than what they think they can be.

My phone has definitely been ringing off the hook. I have a great group of coaches that I have been with before in the past. There are new coaches that I think could be a great fit for Florida State University.

At the end of the day, this is going to be a process I make sure we bring the right fit into our football family. I can tell you it will be one of the best coaching staffs in the country.

Q. Have you had a chance to look at any games or film from Florida State for the last year or so? What are some of your impressions?

MIKE NORVELL: I actually did. We played a common opponent this year (ULM). I got to see a little bit of that after they played that game. Here towards the back half of the season, I was able to watch some TV copies.

Like I told the players earlier, I was so proud of them. To Odell Haggins, the job that he did, what he did in a time of adversity for those kids, bringing them together, the way that they played. That was part of the reason that I chose these young men, this opportunity. You saw them respond.

It wasn't easy for them, but it is a special group. I'm grateful for the work that he did. I see a team that cares about each other, that's passionate. I think there's some things that we're going to definitely work to continue to improve when it comes to maybe allowing ourselves to showcase the best of our abilities in the best situations. I think there are some times we got behind ourselves from some self-inflicted things.

I'm excited about working with this group each and every day. It's a special group of young men.

Q. During the process when you were talking to David Coburn, President Thrasher, was there an 'aha' moment when you said, “This is happening, this is where I want to go?” Secondly, I'm guessing you probably had some other opportunities. What was it about Florida State that resonated above everything else?

MIKE NORVELL: I've been fortunate through my time as a coach to be able to meet with a variety of different people. You always get a feel when you leave, whether it's a first meeting or second meeting, of the true core of a person, of an organization.

I'll tell you, the first meeting after I got an opportunity to meet with President Thrasher, David Coburn, I was so very impressed. I came home and told Maria, That group, they have it figured out. You could sense the passion. You could sense the purpose of what is on the forefront. The importance of Florida State football, not only to the school, but for this entire state, for college football.

That's what I told them, I want to be the coach that gets us back. I want to be the coach that leads this program. I want to be the coach that gets the chance to give college football what it needs. That's for Florida State football to be one of the country's elite. I believe that is possible. That's why I'm here. These men, they illustrate that every single day of what they do.

Chairman Burr, I got to meet him our second visit, it was just another checkmark that I said, This is the group that I want to do it with. I was so fortunate to get the opportunity.

Q. With scheme regarding offense and defense philosophy, do you have an idea of what you would like to bring here?

MIKE NORVELL: That's one of the things I take a great deal of pride in, is being versatile to the talent that we have. If you look at my coaching career, I tell my players, This is a program built for play-makers. It's my job to put them in a position to showcase all of their skills and talents, put them in a position to achieve success on the field.

That's going to be a big part of our evaluation of what we are, what we have, what we need to do moving forward. It will be very multiple. There were years at Memphis we rushed for over four thousand yards, but threw for over three thousand. That's a good combination. Some years you're a little bit more pass heavy than you are in the run game. We always want to be able to have balance to showcase our student-athletes.

Defensively, I can tell you run and attack. It's going to come down to a mindset of whether you're bringing pressure, rushing four, we are going to have an aggressive mindset. We've been one of the top teams in the country in creating takeaways, explosive plays. I think we've had 10 defensive touchdowns in the last four years.

I touched on special teams earlier. That's going to be at the core of who we are. We are going to be one of the best special teams football teams in the country because of the time we put into it, the commitment we have to it as a coaching staff and football team.

Q. You don't have lot of roots here in Florida, haven't recruited it a ton. What is your plan to make yourself available for recruits?

MIKE NORVELL: Building relationships takes time, building trust takes time. You have to invest in it. The only way you get to build trust is by making daily deposits. That's something I'm committed to doing with the high school coaches and recruits here, to be open and successful. That's going to be one of the top things on my priority list.

As we get into spring ball, knowing everybody, the recruiting season, we'll be out in high schools. Being able to have open doors, being able to show what we are, who we are.

Anybody can stand in front of you, give you a speech, tell you a story of what you want to do. I want them to see it, how we practice, prepare, the way we develop those student-athletes.

The coaches, when they come to them for a recommendation, they can trust this is a program they want to send their players to, because they know they're going to be taken care of on the field, off the field, in the classroom and a place they will be able to achieve success in all of their life.

Thank you. Go Noles.

----------------------------------------------------

Talk about this story with Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council