Florida State Fires Mike Norvell: Three Times It Went Wrong, What’s Next for the Seminoles

The writing has been on the wall for a long time. Mike Norvell had been working on borrowed time at Florida State for well over a year, spared largely by a buyout of nearly $50 million that dates back to the Seminoles’ remarkable 2023 season, a 13–1 campaign that feels like a lifetime ago for the fans in Tallahassee. The school elected to fire Norvell on Sunday, after a blowout loss to Clemson.

Norvell leaves with a 41–39 record with FSU, but went just 10–23 in the last three seasons.

Florida State Fires Mike Norvell: What’s Next

Where it went wrong for Mike Norvell
Sunday’s updates on Florida State’s moves
Why Florida State fired Mike Norvell
Coaching candidates for Florida State

Where it went wrong for Mike Norvell

Inability to recover after CFP snub

The high-water mark of Norvell’s tenure with the Seminoles was a 13–0 regular season in 2023, in which quarterback Jordan Travis authored a marvelous season and was in contention for the Heisman Trophy until he suffered a season-ending leg injury in November. It was a huge blow to Florida State’s national title hopes, as the Seminoles less-than-impressively won their final two regular-season games to finish undefeated, yet were famously snubbed by the committee in the then-four-team College Football Playoff, with the Travis injury serving as prime reasoning.

If the Travis injury was the blow that ended Florida State’s title hopes, the CFP snub was seemingly the beginning of the end of Norvell’s tenure. As many as 29 scholarship players bolted from the program in the transfer portal, undoubtedly playing a role in Florida State’s 63–3 Orange Bowl rout at the hands of Georgia. Norvell followed up the 13–1 campaign with a 2–10 season in 2024, the second-largest drop in wins in consecutive years any college football program has ever endured. Since being snubbed in the CFP, Norvell’s Seminoles, despite receiving an influx of resources, have gone just 10–23. They never truly reached the same heights again.

A four-game losing streak in 2025

In many ways, the 2025 season was a microcosm of Norvell’s tenure with the Seminoles. Moments where Florida State showed immense potential followed by moments where everything came crashing down.

The Seminoles kick-started that year with a 3–0 record and a season-opening upset win over No. 8 Alabama. And while a double-overtime loss to Virginia, a narrow defeat to eventual national title runner-up Miami and a three-point loss to a solid Pittsburgh team were forgivable in a vacuum, a fourth straight defeat to a Stanford team, in which the Seminoles were heavily favored and the Cardinal had interim coach Frank Reich pacing the sidelines, was not.

The ebbs and the flows of the 2025 season ultimately defined Norvell’s often inconsistent tenure with Florida State.

An inexplicable loss to SMU in 2026

After defeating New Mexico State 34–17 to open up the 2026 season, Norvell was still occupying a warm seat, though an opportunity for a pivotal conference victory loomed against No. 19 SMU in Week 1. It was a strange game before it even started, as it was delayed nearly two hours due to a power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Then, things got even weirder. Despite forcing four SMU turnovers, committing just one turnover themselves, and despite six penalties from the Mustangs to the Seminoles’ three, Florida State lost 27–24. It was the kind of game where the Mustangs just kept giving the Seminoles reasons to win the game, and the latter simply wouldn’t oblige. Just a week later, in as ominous a sign as any for Norvell in his seven seasons, the program fired athletic director Michael Alford.

Sunday’s updates on Florida State’s moves

Why Florida State fired Mike Norvell

Each game had become a fresh referendum on Norvell’s career at Florida State. After a dominant 38–7 win over Virginia, which moved the Seminoles’ record to 3–2 with tight losses to good Alabama and SMU teams, there seemed to be a flicker of hope that he might get the program back to respectability and stave off the reaper for at least another year.

That hope quickly dissipated over the next few weeks with a blowout loss to Louisville, a controversial overtime loss to rival Miami and on Saturday, a decisive defeat against fellow struggling ACC power Clemson.

Just days ago, Florida State president Richard McCullough wrote a letter to the program’s supporters, in which he addressed the future of the athletic department. Norvell’s situation was not directly addressed, but served as a pretty clear subtext to his statement, which comes amid a search for the program’s athletic director.

“We have been evaluating every aspect of our athletics organization, including defining the role, responsibilities, and expectations for our next Athletics Director,” he wrote. “That work requires honest assessments, difficult conversations, and a realistic analysis of the immense changes and challenges in athletics over the past several years. That work is nearing completion, which means we will be able to begin the search for a new Athletics Director soon. Our vision has not changed. Florida State should compete for championships, develop exceptional student-athletes, attract outstanding coaches and personnel, and operate with the resources, leadership, and commitment necessary to succeed at the highest level of college athletics.

“That standard is not negotiable.”

Now, the school will search for both a new football coach and athletic director to try and restore that standard, a fairly existential issue for the program given its clear desire to return to national championship contention and draw interest from outside the ACC, as stratification between college sports’ major conferences continues to grow.

Follow along below as we bring you news and updates from Florida State’s coaching change, and where the program goes from here after Norvell’s dismissal. —Dan Lyons

Coaching candidates for Florida State

Jake Dickert, Wake Forest head coach

Florida State doesn’t need to overthink this: Hire the proven winner in the ACC who knows how to get the most out of a roster even if it isn’t the most expensive in the league. Dickert’s defensive background will surely appeal after three straight offensive-minded head coaches have followed Bobby Bowden. He’s shown he can turn around programs in a hurry after stints at Washington State and with the Demon Deacons.

Manny Diaz, Duke head coach

An alum who won an ACC title at Duke of all places would tick off just about every box you would want if you’re Florida State. Diaz understands what works and what doesn’t in Tallahassee and could probably bring quite a few players with him to help the rebuilding effort in 2027.

Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State head coach

Dillingham doesn’t want to leave his alma mater but if ever an opening could get school officials at Arizona State nervous, it might be this job popping up after the past few years of the coach complaining about resources. The former Seminoles assistant would be a great fit here if he can be convinced he’ll get what it takes to truly compete for multiple rounds of the CFP. —Bryan Fischer

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