It was a question of when, not if, by when State of Florida was going to leave Mike Norvell for a while now. On Sunday, the Seminoles took action and fired his head coach after Saturday night’s loss to Clemson.
At a press briefing Sunday evening, FSU President Richard McCullough explained the decision. He admitted to taking feedback from fans and social media into account before making the decision.
“Yesterday was a defining moment for me,” McCullough said.
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Florida State lost 36-24 at home to Clemson on Saturday night. The loss dropped them to 3-5 overall in 2026, including 1-4 against ACC opponents.
McCullough went on to say that he just didn’t see the trajectory of the program at this point. He called it an “important” decision and one that determines the future fate of Florida State football.
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Now the Seminoles owe Norvell about $51 for a buyout. This buyout is the third largest in college football history, behind that of Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and that of Brian Kelly at LSU.
Just three seasons ago, FSU won 13 games and an ACC title before being controversially left out of the College Football Playoff after an injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis.
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The following season, they went 2-10. Florida State then started 3-0 in 2025, including a win over Alabama, but finished just 5-7. Over the last three years, the Seminoles are 4-17 in ACC games and 10-22 overall.
Norvell first arrived in Tallahassee in 2020. He finishes his tenure with a 41-39 overall record in seven seasons. They went 23-30 in ACC play in that time.
Before Saturday’s game against Clemson, a plane flying a banner calling for Norvell’s shot flew around Doak S. Campbell Stadium. After the game, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney defended Norvell and criticized what was happening with the calls for him to lose his job.
“It was embarrassing. Florida State is better than that,” Swinney said after the match. “It’s not good for these kids. They didn’t even spell his name correctly. It’s disrespectful. Mike Norvell is a good man. He won’t say it, but I will. Whoever did this, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
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