Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford on September 14th, and you just knew it was gonna spin into wild speculation about head coach Mike Norvell’s future. Norvell has been on the hot seat for over two seasons, man. Remember 2023? They went 13-1, won the ACC, and then got totally snubbed by Alabama for the College Football Playoff. The program hasn’t recovered, not even a little bit. We’ve seen FSU go 2-10 in 2024, 5-7 in 2025, and now they’re sitting at 1-2 after taking a brutal 50-36 loss to No. 10 Alabama on Saturday. What a fall.
Fifty-One Million Reasons To Sweat
Look, the coaching carousel always gets crazy, but Norvell’s buyout is the talk of the town, and for good reason. After leading the Seminoles to that ACC championship in 2023, he signed an eight-year, $80 million extension. EIGHTY MILLION BUCKS! Now, if Florida State decides to pull the trigger and fire him before the 2026 season wraps up, he’s owed a ridiculous $51 million buyout. That number only drops to $45.6 million at the end of the season. Think about that for a second. Fifty-one million just to *not* coach. That’s a massive obstacle for any program trying to make a change, and it puts Florida State in a serious bind.
Who Could Step Into This Mess?
Despite that monster buyout, the rumor mill is spinning, and there are some big names floating around. Could we see a familiar face return? Jimbo Fisher, 60, led FSU to a national championship in 2013 with an 83-23 record and top-10 recruiting classes like it was nothing. His ending at FSU was, shall we say, messy, before he went to Texas A&M. He hasn’t coached since 2023, and you gotta wonder if he could get that talent in the NIL era like he used to. Still, he’s a fan favorite.
Then there are the hot, younger names. Kenny Dillingham, only 36, is at Arizona State, where he’s signed a five-year extension worth around $7.5 million a season. This guy’s charismatic, led the Sun Devils to a Big 12 championship and a CFP appearance in 2024, and sent five players to the NFL in the last two drafts. (FSU only sent three, just saying). Glenn Schumann, also 36, is Georgia’s defensive coordinator. He’s been with the Bulldogs since 2019, helped produce 11 first-round defensive picks, and seems totally ready for a Power 4 head coaching gig. And don’t forget Rhett Lashlee, 43, at SMU. He’s got SMU rolling with a 15-2 record and a CFP appearance since they joined the ACC in 2024. But he just signed an extension himself; he’d be tough to pull away.
Norvell is clearly under fire, and with that $51 million buyout looming, Florida State is in a wild spot. The season is still young, but the clock is ticking on how long they can justify this kind of investment without any wins to show for it. What’s their move? Do they bite the bullet, or keep riding this bumpy road?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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