On Saturday afternoon, Andrea Adelson of ESPN reported that Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell is positive for Coronavirus and will not be with the team when they face off against Miami at Hard Rock Stadium next Saturday night.

Shortly after Adelson’s report, this was confirmed by FSU via an email, which included the following statement from Norvell:

In Norvell’s absence, deputy head coach Chris Thomsen will coach the Noles through practice and in the rivalry game against Miami next Saturday night in primetime.

There have been many teams that have had players test positive for COVID-19 and therefore miss practices or games. There’s even been several games that have been rescheduled or canceled entirely due to widespread COVID cases, or contact tracing (someone being in close contact with someone else who tested positive, and then needing to self-isolate). This is, to my knowledge, the first instance of any coach needing to step away from their program during this season, let alone a head coach.

While it is unknown what impact Norvell’s absence from the FSU team — their practices, meetings, and game preparation for a major rivlary game — will have on the Noles. FSU lost their opener for the 4th consecutive season, and I’m sure are looking to right the ship with a win over Miami next weekend.

We’ll have more on this developing story and discuss the fallout in the days to come.

Go Canes