Mike Norvell fired after seven seasons leading FSU football
· Yahoo Sports
Mike Norvell's tumultuous tenure as Florida State football head coach is over.
The 44-year-old was fired by FSU president Richard McCullough after a 36-24 loss to Clemson, bookending a shaky seven years leading the program, which saw him post a 41-39 record. The decision to remove Norvell ends a multi-year saga of mediocrity for the Seminoles football program, which led to significant fan frustration and even saw FSU Athletic Director Michael Alford fired in September.
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Norvell arrived at the football facility on Sunday with members of the coaching staff. He greeted recruits who were on official visits and operated as if business were usual. However, as the day went on and meetings were held with university leadership, a decision was ultimately made to move on from Norvell.
His firing was announced just ahead of a team meeting scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Rick Stockstill will serve as the program's interim head coach.
“We have made the decision to change the leadership of our football program,” McCullough said in a press release. “We thank Mike Norvell for his commitment and service to Florida State and wish him and his family the very best. We understand the deep passion of Seminole fans and share their high expectations for this program. We are confident in Rick Stockstill’s ability to provide steady leadership during this transition. We will conduct a thorough national search for the program’s next leader, someone who embraces Florida State’s tradition of championship athletics and our standard of excellence.”
That frustration reached its way to the very top of university leadership. McCullough both released a statement on social media and made comments about the lack of recent results for the program during an Oct. 30 Board of Trustees meeting, and reaffirmed the care that the university has for the program.
"This board is absolutely committed to success in athletics. For those who don't think our board is involved in athletics, I would say that you're a person that's not informed," McCullough said. "With all due respect, this board is incredibly involved in athletics.
McCullough and the board ultimately felt that the proper course for the program was without Norvell, who is owed $47.1 million, according to contract information obtained by USA TODAY Sports. It would be the third-highest buyout in college football history, behind only the $76.8 million Jimbo Fisher got from Texas A&M in 2023 and the $54 million Brian Kelly got from LSU just last year.
The contract stipulations were the result of an extension signed in 2024, when Alabama was close to prying Norvell away from Tallahassee to replace the retired Nick Saban, months after shutting the Seminoles out of the 2023 College Football Playoff. At the time, Norvell's extension was considered smart business and celebrated, and it landed Norvell a raise that made him one of the nation's highest-paid coaches.
How Mike Norvell lost luster at FSU
However, the extension preceded a disastrous run for the program that flipped Norvell's status as one of the best young head coaches in the country into one on the hottest seat in the nation. A 2-10 season in 2024 and a 5-7 season in 2025 flipped fan perception, which boiled over into showers of boo's at Doak Campbell Stadium aimed at him on multiple occasions and eventually a banner flown by a place over Doak that called for his removal.
The decision follows the Seminoles' (3- 5, 1-4ACC) loss to Clemson, which extended the program's losing streak against rivals (Clemson, Miami, Florida) to eight games, and took Norvell's record since 2024 to 10-22. The loss took Norvell's record in the ACC since 2024 to 4-17, the worst record in the league during that timeframe. It exemplifies the significant, albeit remarkable, decline of the Seminoles under Norvell.
Norvell leaves his perch over the program with a complicated legacy. He owns the program's best season since the days of Jamies Winston and Jimbo Fisher, the ACC title-winning season in 2023, when the Seminoles went 13-0 in the regular season. He also owns one of the worst seasons in program history, going 2-10 in 2024.
His teams produced multiple NFL players, and quarterback Jordan Travis became an icon of the university under Norvell. However, quarterback was the defining position of his tenure, as outside of Travis he never found a signal caller capable of executing his vision. Portal additions of DJ Uiagalelei, Tommy Castellanos, and Ashton Daniels left more to be desired, and his prep recruitment at the position never produced a gem.
What does the future look like at FSU?
Norvell's recruitment was often questioned, and he never inked a top-10 class from the prep level while often prioritizing portal additions. It produced a mixed bag of results and ultimately contributed to his eventual firing.
FSU reached the heights of 13-0 and won an ACC title in 2023, and won 19 straight games over two seasons from 2022-2023. The Seminoles reached two bowl games under Norvell: a 2022 Cheez-Itz Bowl win over Oklahoma, and a blowout 63-3 Orange Bowl loss to Georgia in 2023.
That loss to Georgia came after the Seminoles became the first undefeated Power 4 conference champion to be left out of the College Football Playoff. Dubbed "the snub," Norvell and the Seminoles never recovered, leading to three consecutive underwhelming seasons and Norvell's eventual firing.
The program will look for more success in both of those areas with his next head coaching hire.
Florida State football schedule 2026
(Current Record 3-5, 1-4 ACC)
vs. New Mexico State | 34-17 W
vs. SMU* | 27-24 L
Bye
at Alabama | 50-36 L
vs. Central Arkansas | 34-7 W
vs. Virginia* | 38-7 W
at Louisville* | 44-20 L
at Miami* | 43-35 2OT L
Bye
vs. Clemson* | 36-24 L
at Boston College* | Nov. 7
at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13
vs. NC State* | Nov. 21
vs. Florida | Nov. 27
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Mike Norvell fired after seven seasons leading FSU football