Many traditional college football powers have fired their head coaches this season.
On Oct. 12, the Penn State Nittany Lions fired head coach James Franklin (who has since been hired by the Virginia Tech Hokies). Two weeks later, the LSU Tigers moved on from head coach Brian Kelly.
After falling to 5-6, it’s easy to see why the Florida State Seminoles would be tempted to do the same, but they’re not going to. On Sunday, university president Richard McCullough confirmed that the program plans to give head coach Mike Norvell one more chance. He must make the most of it.
Richard McCullough explains why Florida State is retaining Mike Norvell in 2026
“Coach Norvell embraces our support in that process and agrees that success must be achieved. He continues to demonstrate an unwavering belief in this program’s future, and so do we,” McCullough said in a statement, via ESPN’s Andrea Adelson. “This decision reflects a unified commitment to competing in the rapidly evolving landscape of college football, while maintaining continuity within the program.”
Not to mention, he wants to avoid paying the coach his buyout. If Florida State fires Norvell this season, it owes him a whopping $54M, per Adelson. That would be the second-largest buyout in college football history, behind that of former Texas A&M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher, who was paid $76.8M after being fired in November 2023, per CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno.
That said, many Florida State fans may feel coughing up the money would’ve been worthwhile. He has had a much less successful tenure in Tallahassee than Franklin had in Happy Valley and Kelly had in Baton Rouge.
In six seasons with the Seminoles, Norvell has compiled a 38-33 record. This included a disastrous 2024, when they went 2-10, their worst season since 1974. Franklin went 104-45 in 12 seasons at Penn State, guiding the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff in 2024. Kelly went 34-14 in four seasons with LSU, winning 10 or more games twice.
Florida State almost made the four-team CFP under Norvell in 2023. The Seminoles started 13-0 and won the ACC Championship Game, but lost the last seed to the Alabama Crimson Tide. This was due in part to starting quarterback Jordan Travis suffering a broken leg in a win against North Alabama.
After a 3-0 start this season, it looked like Florida State had re-entered the CFP conversation. However, those hopes have evaporated amid a 2-6 skid, which included a 21-11 loss to the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Friday. Asked in his postgame news conference if his team has met expectations this season, the coach admitted it hasn’t.
Whatever made Norvell successful in 2023, he must find it. The coach may not get another chance if he flops in 2026, especially when more accomplished coaches have already been canned.
