Clemson's Swinney irked by 'shameful' plane banner urging FSU to fire Norvell

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  Andrea AdelsonNov 1, 2026, 01:22 AM ET

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  • ACC reporter.
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
  • Graduate of the University of Florida.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called the pregame banner urging Florida State officials to fire Mike Norvell, "embarrassing," "shameful" and "disrespectful" after the Tigers defeated the Seminoles 36-24 on Saturday night in Tallahassee.

Norvell has come under increasing pressure after another tough start to the season. With the loss to Clemson, Florida State dropped to 3-5 and 1-4 in ACC play, tied with Georgia Tech for last place. Earlier in the week, university president Richard McCullough acknowledged the fan frustration in a letter to supporters but also urged them to support the student-athletes and pack Doak Campbell Stadium.

That did not stop an airplane from flying above the stadium with a banner that read "Fire Novell," spelling his name incorrectly.

Swinney mentioned the banner completely unprompted in his postgame press conference, saying "that was embarrassing what I saw above the stadium. Florida State's better than that. That's not good for these kids. That bothered me, and they didn't even spell his name right. Didn't even have the freaking R in the name. It's just disrespectful.

"There's so many good people at this place and in this program. I've always had a lot of respect for Florida State. Bobby Bowden was one of my heroes in life. (Norvell) ain't gonna say it, but I'll say it. I was freaking disappointed to see that. Hell, they may be flying one around Clemson next time I'm home, but I doubt it. I doubt it. But whoever did that, man, you ought to be ashamed of yourself."

Swinney went on to defend Norvell, in his seventh season with the Seminoles. Since winning the ACC title in 2023, Norvell has gone 10-22 and fan frustration has reached a boiling point. Florida State, a six-point favorite going into the game, has not beaten Clemson at home since 2014.

"Ain't nobody trying to lose," Swinney continued. "This job is hard, and that's not what's best for those kids out there that are fighting. They fought every second of that game. I know it's a tough situation, and it went our way tonight. But Mike Norvell is a good man. He's a husband. He's a father, and I don't know why we think because people make money that you have the right to just destroy people as humans.

"I don't know where we became this as a society, where it's OK to tear people down. It's like a blood sport now. You lose a game, fire everybody. Everybody stinks. How about we just support the kids. We support the team. We count them all up at the end of the year, and we go from there. My heart goes out to Coach Norvell and his family and that team that just fought their butts off every single play. I'm sure somebody had a lot of fun, felt really good about themselves, to fly a freaking plane and a banner around this amazing stadium. It's shameful to me."

Norvell was not asked about the banner in his postgame news conference. Rather, he was asked what his message was to fans who had largely left by the time the fourth quarter started with Florida State trailing 29-10 before cutting it to a one-score game with five minutes to play.

"You've got to win, that's what it comes down to," Norvell said. "This team rallied and responded, and still believed in what they could do. I understand the frustration. We have high expectations for what we want it to be. I believe in these players and the choice that they made to come be a part of this program. There's a lot of work that is being poured into this group but I truly believe that this is a team that's going to fight for the university. It's going to fight for the program for what they represent. We've been highly competitive, but you've got to go win the game."

Norvell was also asked how to keep the team together after another tough loss.

"Even with all the other bullcrap that we've had to deal with, these guys fight for each other," Norvell said. "I don't question the leadership within our team. Are they pissed off? Yes. Are they angry, sad, mad? All of it? Yes. So am I. There's people that don't want to see you be successful. That's fine. That's part of it. It's really about what you do with the opportunity that's given, and are you willing to block all the other crap out and just go and be focused on your improvement and allowing your best to show up?

"If we can consistently do that as a football team, program, players, coaches, everybody involved, then we will rise up, and I absolutely believe that's going to occur."