“I’m proud of this football team. I’m proud of the work they’ve put in, proud of what they’ve shown throughout the course of a season.”
Florida State is coming off its first season loss on Saturday night against the Capital One Orange Bowl against the Georgia Bulldogs 63-3. It marked an emotional moment for head coach Mike Norvell and the team after they went 13-0 and won the ACC Championship only to be left out of the College Football Playoff, which spawned multiple players opting out of the bowl game to either transfer or head to the NFL Draft.
Following the loss, Norvell, quarterback Brock Glenn, and linebacker Kalen DeLoach met with the media in an emotionally charged conference to talk about the game and their season.
“First off, tonight was a very difficult night. It’s been a very difficult month, to be honest with you,” Norvell said. “But I’m proud of this football team. I’m proud of the work they’ve put in, proud of what they’ve shown throughout the course of a season. To do some of the things that they were able to accomplish, they overcame a lot of adversity, they fought, they worked, they invested on and off the field.”
“When you come back to this season, it’s because of them,” Norvell added. “It’s because of their work. It’s because of their heart, their spirit, the belief that they had in each other. For the third time in school history, to be 13 wins, to be able to win the ACC Championship, and against a lot of odds of things that happened and things that occurred, and those guys just — they did respond and in a special way.”
Veteran linebacker Kalen DeLoach was one of the players who will be headed to the 2024 NFL Draft who played in the loss. He played at Florida State for five years, and the game on Saturday would be his last in garnet and gold.
“My experience here at Florida State, just being here when we wasn’t where we at now, just to see the growth and the guys that bought in from day one. I’ve been there the whole time, so to see the growth, the buy-in, I’m going to remember that forever.” DeLoach said. “Because a lot of guys made sacrifices to go out there each and every day to be their best every day.”
DeLoach was a part of the team before Norvell and his staff were hired by FSU. He thanked his teammates and the staff for the experience.
“They’ve pushed every day to be their best. I’m thanking them guys every opportunity I get for just — just giving me the best season I’ve ever had so far in my life. Just the experiences and everything I got to go through, I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Florida State was missing close to 30 players and started numerous true freshmen at multiple positions. There has been widespread speculation that the playoff snub was the cause for the exodus of players who didn’t participate in the bowl game. Norvell said that his players were hurt and that they had tough choices to make.
“I mean, it was hard choices for a lot of the young men that were on our team. We were hurt. I think that’s — when you do the things that our guys did throughout the year and the way that they responded, the way they fought, the way that they just pulled together, it hurt when we were not selected.”
Brock Glenn who starting in place of backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker due to Rodemaker’s transfer and Jordan Travis’ injury. Travis has stayed with the team, and Glenn said he was a real mentor to him when he stepped on campus.
“Jordan has been awesome from the moment I stepped in here in January. He took me in, literally like my older brother. That’s how I view him. We’ve grown an unbelievable bond together,” Glenn said. “I know I can go to him for anything. I know that everybody on the team feels the exact same way.”
“That’s the type of guy he is. That’s the type of leader he is. You saw he left it all out there on the field this whole year. Outstanding player and an even better person,” Glenn continued. “I’m just thankful that I was able to get to build a relationship with him and having him out here with me has been awesome and truly helpful.”
With the season now at an end the next time you’ll see the Seminoles in action will be the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland. They will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on August 27, 2024.
