What CSU athletic director John Weber said after firing Jay Norvell

Colorado State athletic director John Weber says the decision to make a move atop the football program came as “progress stalled.”

Weber held a press conference Oct. 20 after CSU fired Jay Norvell on Oct. 19, putting Tyson Summers in place as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season.

Here’s a look at Weber said about the decision, the upcoming search and the program as a whole.

John Weber on firing Jay Norvell as CSU football coach

“(Oct. 19) was a hard day for our football program. When a decision like this is made, it affects more than just the head coach and his family, it affects a lot of families.

“There’s a lot of people on our staff, there’s a lot of players in the locker room, those players have families. It is a deeply personal thing for a lot of people when a change like this is made. There are great people in our football staff, there are great people in our locker room and I am immensely proud of who all of them are.

“Coach Norvell and his wife Kim, they were great stewards of our program. They built a culture that embraced our community. I’m immensely proud of what they were able to do and that made this decision even harder.

“Coach Norvell built momentum for a program that deeply needed it, resulted in an eight-win season for us last year and culminated in a bowl game. But ultimately, progress was challenged and progress stalled at a very critical time for us as we ascended into the Pac-12. And with that in mind, I made the decision that we needed a different direction and different leadership as we move forward.”

John Weber on Tyson Summers as interim head coach

“Coach Summers has every authority to do what he feels necessary for us to finish the season strong. I have complete faith in his ability to lead, to represent our university, and to recruit to our program, and that is about to be on display for all of you. This program is now fully focused on our game versus Wyoming on Saturday.

“This rivalry game and the traditions that surround it are among the absolute best in college football and we’re going to celebrate that this week. I’m excited for Coach Summers to lead us into that game and take full advantage of the upcoming bye week as well for us to prepare to finish strong and to continue to recruit to our program.”

John Weber on why he made the change now

“As we went through the season, we had starts and stops as we went through the season. We struggled against Hawaii to find our identity, to be able to move the ball that we needed to in the way that we needed to. It was an opportunity for us to get Coach Summers focused on what the future of Colorado State football is headed into the rivalry game. It also gives us an extra week as we head into the bye week (after the Wyoming game) to make sure that we are prepared from a recruiting perspective. So, as opposed to doing this the following week during the bye week, I actually wanted to get started a little bit earlier so that we could get as much momentum as we can as we head into a very critical bye week after our game against Wyoming.”

John Weber on the positives he views for the CSU job

“This program is primed for significant success, and this university is aligned to achieve it. I set the vision for Colorado State to become the most loved, most watched, most innovative athletics program in the West. I look forward to the process that’s about to begin here to identify the leader that is going to be able to capitalize on all the potential that exists here at Colorado State, and I’m going to ensure it happens.”

John Weber on the upcoming coaching search

“From a timing perspective, it allows us to run a very exhaustive search and — in conjunction with the search firm that we’re going to use — it’s going to be able to present a lot of options and allow us to make a very informed, non-rushed decision on the next person to lead our program. The trait, in terms of what we’re looking for, about the only thing that I’m going to say is that it needs to be collaborative. We’ve entered an era in collegiate sports, and football in particular, where as a university, we all need to collaborate to ensure that we can be as successful as we possibly can with our work.”

John Weber on if the next coach needs to have head coaching experience

“It would be nice. I’m not going to say that it’s required. One of the things that I have learned going through multiple different types of searches is that you always find people that you didn’t think you would find in that process.

“One of the things that I don’t want to do is limit us to how we think about who the next coach could be, where they come from, what their experiences are. Just as much as important of who that person is, is who they surround themselves with and the processes that they bring with them. I want to make sure that we are open to hearing everyone’s story.”

John Weber on how the upcoming Pac-12 move impacted the decision

“We absolutely have to enter the Pac-12 with a full head of steam. The opportunity for Colorado State is very, very, very real. When you look at all the attributes here at CSU, it is all here for us to be wildly successful as we move into the Pac-12.

“The goal for us is to play in and compete in the College Football Playoff. There is a very, very, very clear path. What kind of coach is able to get players now in this new era that can help this team? Historically, Colorado State has recruited very well out of the state of Texas, out of the state of California. Our local players here in the state of Colorado are incredibly important to us. Connections in that portion of the country — somewhere on staff, doesn’t necessarily have to be that head coach, but somewhere on staff — I think are going to be important to the success of CSU.”

John Weber on CSU’s lack of sustained football success

“I said this statement a moment ago, a program is more than a head coach or a stadium. There are so many facets to a program. I also made the statement that we’re going to look at every square inch of it, but it’s everything from nutrition to recruiting to academic support, everything that makes a program a program.

“We’ve got to make sure that we’re investing in all the right spots to support, ultimately, the product that gets put on the field. We are going to go through a very deep dive analysis of our program and what we need to do in order to ensure that we sustain success, because we haven’t done that. We’ve had moments of success and we’ve had moments of wishing that we would have done better. When I look at the attributes here at CSU, there is no reason for us to not be successful year over year.”

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.