Florida State football coach Mike Norvell spoke glowingly about his time in Memphis during his press conference on Monday, but — like Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield — he said the focus on this week's game shouldn't be on the coaches.

"Memphis will always have a special place in my heart," Norvell said. "But this is about our players, us going out there and being able to compete, improve and get an opportunity to showcase all that we are and what we can be against a very talented team."

Norvell was Memphis' coach from 2015-19, but he left in 2019 for the Florida State job. The game on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN) at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee will be his first chance to coach against his former team.

And his former assistant in Silverfield, who said Monday that he nearly went with Norvell to Florida State in 2019. Silverfield was the only member of Norvell's first staff at Memphis who stayed throughout his tenure.

"Ryan had his opportunities," Norvell said. "But he chose to stay and be a part of what we were building there, and I'm just so excited for him and the opportunity he gets to lead that program. He's done a great job with it."

In a surprise relative to preseason expectations, Memphis is heading on the road as a ranked team, while Florida State is unranked and winless. The Seminoles started the season ranked No. 10 but lost their first two games and fell out of the rankings. The Tigers have earned two-straight blowout wins and are No. 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll this week.

Norvell praised Memphis on Monday, specifically mentioning the secondary, running back Mario Anderson and quarterback Seth Henigan. He called Henigan "one of the most experienced quarterbacks, best quarterbacks in the country."

"I do believe it's one of the top programs in the country, when you look at the success that they've had, that they've been able to sustain," Norvell said. "Coach Silverfield, he's done a great job with the program, continuing to push it on the trajectory that we were on."

Norvell and Silverfield won't be the only intriguing coaching battle on Saturday. Florida State defensive coordinator Adam Fuller was at Memphis in 2019 and left for Tallahassee with Norvell. Before Memphis, he was at Marshall, where he worked with current Memphis offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey.

There will be plenty of emotions on Saturday — and it will also be a critical game for both teams.

"I've got unbelievable respect for that program, great love for that city," Norvell said. "It was truly a wonderful experience when we got to live there."

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Mike Norvell: 'Memphis will always have a special place in my heart'