Florida State’s 2024 football season was a stunning collapse.

Fresh off a dominant 2023 campaign that got upended by a freak injury to quarterback Jordan Travis, last season was supposed to be a reminder that the Seminoles were here to stay.

With a transfer-heavy roster, headlined by quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State was expected to compete for the ACC title and make another push for the College Football Playoff. What happened instead was nothing short of baffling.

Florida State finished the year 2-10, with only one win against an FBS opponent. The offense was horrific, scoring 14 points or fewer on eight occasions. The defense was nowhere to be found, allowing more than 24 points in seven games. And somewhere along the way, at least a portion of the team quit on Norvell and each other.

Of course, Norvell would deny this. Perhaps proud alums would defend the group as well. But from an onlooker’s view, I saw a team that mailed it in down the stretch.

Throughout the last eight months, I’ve found myself mulling over Florida State’s 2024 season. Asking questions like:

How did it get THAT bad?

Could a season like THAT happen to another massive program?

Was that type of fallout avoidable?

Last Thursday afternoon, I tuned in to the Cover 3 Podcast, where Florida State alum Bud Elliott pitched the concept of transfer-heavy teams quitting late in the season when things don’t go their way.

It got me thinking.

In today’s college football landscape, where players are paid handsomely through NIL, the dynamics have changed. College football feels more professional than ever. What happens when a season goes sideways? As long as the checks clear, does it even matter?

When the losses pile up and College Football Playoff dreams die, it feels easier than ever for transfer-heavy teams to wave the white flag.

Could we be entering college football’s quiet quitting era?

Unless you live under a rock, I’m willing to bet you’ve heard of the phrase quiet quitting.

According to Investopedia, “quiet quitting” refers to doing the minimum requirements of one's job and putting in no more time, effort or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary. The phrase came about in the early 2020s and has sparked widespread debate about the merits of not going above and beyond in one’s career.

I’m not here to debate whether quiet quitting in a traditional workplace should be viewed as acceptable or not. A lot of that likely depends on circumstance, which can be different for every employee.

How does this all apply to college football?

In the revenue-sharing and NIL era of college football, players are making more money than ever. Sure, in the olden days, they were paid via duffel bags full of cash or handshake deals. But now, things are supposed to be above board. I don’t think athletes are always getting paid by the letter of the law, but that’s a different topic for a different day.

With more money than ever floating around the sport, it’s human nature for players to take their foot off the gas, especially if the team is enduring a difficult season. When the College Football Playoff is out of reach or that winning season is down the drain, it’s not uncommon for the locker room to become divided. And now that the next paycheck isn’t dependent on the scoreboard, it’s not unbelievable to think that players might not play as hard down the stretch of a tough year.

That’s not to say that every player will mail it in. There’s an element of school pride and internal determination that’s hard to discount. But in the high-turnover era dominated by the transfer portal and personal brands, it doesn’t take much to tilt a locker room off its axis.

Which brings us back to Florida State.

From about October onward, the Seminoles just looked uninterested. In a sport where wins and losses can be separated by the tiniest of details, that stuff matters. Effort and give-a-shit are two things you can’t scheme your way out of.

Maybe what happened in Tallahassee last season was a one-off. Or perhaps it’s the beginning of a disturbing trend that will take place annually, much like in the NFL.

Regardless of where this is headed, I think there are a few things college football coaches can do to curb this trend.

This is waaaaaaay easier said than done, but I think transfer-heavy teams are always going to run the risk of having guys quit on the team. Especially with how some of these NIL and House settlement payments are frontloaded, players are getting more of their money earlier, which theoretically increases the likelihood of quiet quitting down the line.

But if coaches are more selective with transfers and do their best to recruit high-character guys, I think teammates will be less likely to quit on each other.

I think it’s important that coaches do their best to be upfront and honest about where players sit on the depth chart. This is easier said than done, especially during the transfer portal windows, but honesty is almost always the best policy here.

Teams are more likely to have engaged players who give a shit if they have a good understanding of where they fall on the pecking order. Telling a player he has a chance to play and then not playing him is a good way to fast-track dissatisfaction and sew dissent.

Disasterclass.

Tire fire.

Up a creek without a paddle.

These are just a few ways to describe how Florida State’s season unraveled last season.

Call it what you want, but if FSU’s 2024 season proved anything, it’s that in the NIL era, quitting is a very real possibility.

Let’s hope college football can find a way to make the quiet quitting era short-lived.

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