The Florida State football program is moving in another direction after head coach Mike Norvell was fired on Sunday following a 3-5 start.
Norvell was in his 7th season with the Seminoles.
“Florida State has fired coach Mike Norvell, president Richard McCullough tells ESPN,” ESPN’s Andrea Adelson wrote on X.
Florida State lost to Clemson, 36-24, on Saturday night.
“Mike Norvell will be owed $50.3 million, which is subject to offset and mitigation,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel wrote on X. “He just informed the team of his dismissal … longtime Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill will be the FSU interim. He’s an off-field assistant for the Seminoles.”
“The team at Florida State was just informed that head coach Mike Norvell is being fired,” CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz wrote on X.
ESPN Quickly Issues List of Possible Replacements
Within minutes of Norvell’s firing, ESPN had a list of possible replacements led by Wake Forest head coach Jack Dickert, Duke head coach Manny Diaz, Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz, New Mexico head coach Jason Eck and SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee.
The list included a name from FSU’s past — former head coach Jimbo Fisher, who led the Seminoles to their last national championship in 2013.
From ESPN: “Fisher certainly would like to coach again and has, recently, talked more fondly of his time in Tallahassee since he left. He might be a nonstarter to some around FSU, and his struggles at Texas A&M, especially on offense, don’t help his candidacy. But Fisher, 60, was the last coach to truly have things rolling in Tallahassee. Between 2012 and 2016, Fisher and FSU had five straight 10-win seasons, four AP top-10 finishes, three ACC titles and a national championship. He also thrived in recruiting in ways Norvell never did. Fisher also doesn’t need the money and could likely be hired under an extremely school-friendly contract.”
FSU Announced Firing On Social Media
FSU’s official football account announced Norvell’s firing on X.
“Florida State University President Richard McCullough informed head football coach Mike Norvell this afternoon that FSU is making a change in the leadership of its football program, effective immediately,” FSU Football wrote on X. “FSU Athletics Hall of Fame member Rick Stockstill has been named interim head coach.”
“We understand the deep passion of Seminole fans and share their high expectations for this program,” McCullough said in a prepared statement following Norvell’s firing.
Undefeated Regular Season Equaled Playoff Snub
Norvell, hired in 2020 after going 38-15 in four seasons at Memphis, saw his time at Florida State start to go downhill after an undefeated regular season in 2023 that still left the Seminoles without a College Football Playoff bid despite going 13-0.
Since the end of that season — Florida State lost in the Orange Bowl to finish 13-1 — the Seminoles are 10-22, including a 2-10 season in 2024.
“I am disgusted and infuriated with the committee’s decision today to have what was earned on the field taken away because a small group of people decided they knew better than the results of the games,” Norvell said after his team was denied a playoff bid in 2023. “What is the point of playing games? Do you tell players it is okay to quit if someone goes down? Do you not play a senior on Senior Day for fear of injury?”
Who Will Replace Fired FSU Head Coach Mike Norvell?