Florida State has seen enough. Mike Norvell fired after Seminoles' loss to Clemson - USA Today
Add Florida State to the growing list of college football programs with head coach openings.
The Seminoles fired Mike Norvell after six-plus seasons, the school announced Sunday. The move by Florida State comes after a 36-24 loss to Clemson on Saturday, Oct. 31, the Seminoles' 17th defeat in their past 21 conference games.
"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," FSU president Richard McCullough said in a statement.
Norvell finishes with a 41-39 overall record and a 23-30 record in ACC play in his tenure at Florida State. FSU announced that former Seminole quarterback Rick Stockstill, who is part of the university's Hall of Fame, will serve as interim head coach. Stockstill served as the director of scouting for offense on Norvell's staff.
As noted by the Tallahassee Democrat — part of the USA TODAY Network — Norvell arrived at the football facility Sunday with members of his coaching staff. He then greeted recruits who were on official visits and operated as if business were usual. But then, as the day went on and meetings were held with university leadership, a decision regarding his future was ultimately made to move on. FSU had a team meeting scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
The Seminoles will look to snap their skid at noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 7 on the road at Boston College.
Florida State had just two winning seasons under Norvell, coming back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.
The Seminoles went 3-6 in Norvell's first season in 2020 after hiring him away from Memphis. They improved their win total by two the next season before taking a step in Year 3, when Florida State recorded a 10-win season, including a Cheez-It Bowl win against Oklahoma.
The 2023 season marked the high point of Norvell's tenure at Florida State. What appeared to be a breakthrough campaign, with a College Football Playoff berth within reach, ultimately fell short of that goal.
The Seminoles opened the season 10-0 heading into a Nov. 18 matchup against North Alabama, a game in which starting quarterback Jordan Travis was injured for the remainder of season. The Seminoles continued to win after Travis' season-ending injury, but the CFP selection committee decided to leave Florida State out of the four-team field, citing Travis' injury in the decision.
The past three seasons have fallen well short of expectations for a Florida State program that measures itself against a championship standard. Including this season, the Seminoles have gone a combined 10-22 overall, beginning in 2024 through Norvell's firing.
"We have made the decision to change the leadership of our football program. 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 Stockwill'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."
Per FSU's release, an immediate search is underway for Norvell's replacement. The search for FSU's next football coach comes at a time when the Seminoles are in the process of identifying and looking for their next athletic director after the firing of Michael Alford in September.
Norvell's buyout will be a hefty price for the Seminoles.
According to USA TODAY Sports' John Brice, Norvell will be owed $50.3 million if fired without cause. The Seminoles owe additional money to Norvell from when he took a pay cut two years ago.
It is set to be the third-largest payout in college football history, behind only Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and Brian Kelly at LSU. Penn State owed James Franklin $49 million when it fired him last October, but Franklin agreed to a deal with Virginia Tech only one month later, dropping that figure to $9 million.
Like Franklin, Norvell had a mitigation clause in his contract, meaning future earnings would offset what FSU owes him.
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