Don’t go there. Don’t give the brilliant minds at Florida State credit for perfect timing.
Because absolutely nothing in years at FSU has been timed with any semblance of recognition or reason.
So don’t take the firing Monday of athletic director Mike Alford, days before the Alabama game, for anything other than it is: The house is being cleaned of all things Mike Norvell.
The first step is Alford, whose lone poor decision at FSU was a belief of what was being sold about Norvell, FSU’s then-hot coach after the 2023 regular season.
Alabama needed a coach, and Norvell was its top choice. Only he wasn’t.
In fact, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne told me he never even spoke to Norvell.
FSU fires him
But Alford convinced the president and board of trustees that not only did Norvell deserve a big raise — a year after getting another raise that doubled his salary to $8 million annually — FSU also needed to be liable for a massive buyout in the process.
Now here we are, one Mike down and one to go. And FSU on the hook for a $51 million buyout of Norvell — who never had interest from Alabama in the first place.
It wasn’t that long ago when successful athletic directors were elite fundraisers, and needed to hit more than they missed on coaching hires. Now they must be bullspit detectors, too.
Look, this is the way the system works. Everyone is looking out for themselves — coaches, players, universities — so don’t be shocked when the stories sold aren’t exactly true.
The days of trust and loyalty are long gone.
Alford got quickly dilapidating Doak Campbell Stadium renovated, and built a palace of a football facility. He fought the ACC by himself — Clemson was a mere hanger-on — and got the league to agree to a revenue sharing model that favored teams who played in marquee television games.
But all that good couldn’t overshadow the colossal mistake of extending Norvell in back-to-back seasons. Couldn’t overcome the massive mistakes at quarterback by Norvell over the past three offseasons, when he signed castoffs from the ACC (DJ Uiagalelei, Tommy Castellanos) and SEC (Ashton Daniels) to play the most important position on the field.
Could’ve overcome Norvell missing in the transfer portal over and over, and struggling to recruit and develop high schoolers. Couldn’t overcome 19 losses in the 27 games since the unbeaten regular season of 2023, and 14 ACC losses in 17 games.
Which leads us to Norvell, and his ridiculous $51 million buyout. When Alabama whips the Noles on Saturday, and when it’s clear (again) that Norvell doesn’t have the right pieces for a rebuild, he’ll be fired, too.
If not after the Alabama game, absolutely after a three-game stretch in October that includes games against Virginia, at Louisville and at Miami. What should’ve happened last season only delayed the inevitable this season, leaving FSU one more year behind in a brutally competitive state.
Miami is surging under Mario Cristobal, and spending NIL money at the highest level of the game. Florida moved on from Billy Napier after last season, and Jon Sumrall has a large and powerful fanbase behind him.
Then there’s FSU, struggling to generate revenue in a conference that can’t compete with the SEC and Big Ten, and without hope of joining either. The university’s best option to generate revenue are luxury suites in the renovated stadium, and the football team playing in marquee television games.
But the worse the team plays, the less chance of FSU reaching the ratings level it needs to generate extra revenue from the ACC media rights deal. So to field a better product and reach those value numbers, FSU must spend $51 million to fire Norvell, and commit to tens of millions more to find the right coach.
Alford wasn’t alone in the foolish move of doubling down on Norvell. University president Richard McCullough — the man who just fired Alford — was part of the process, too. No coach in college football is hired without approval from the president.
Now McCullough must hire an athletic director, who must hire a football coach — but only after getting approval from McCullough. See how this nonsense works in college sports?
And we wonder why and how an athletic director could get fooled into doubling down on a coach without a serious offer from another school. Or how a president would approve that move, knowing it would put the university in significant financial straits if it doesn’t work.
Don’t blame Norvell or his agent for selling the story of Alabama. Blame Florida State for buying it.
One Mike down, one to go.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: One Mike down, one to go. FSU begins house cleaning with AD firing | Opinion
