Florida State President Richard McCullough and interim athletic director Bruce Warwick addressed the media Sunday evening after the university fired head coach Mike Norvell.
McCullough said the decision came down to trajectory and results.
As part of his opening statement, he started by saying that “it was a very complicated decision,” and that “despite giving everything…the results didn’t show.”
“It’s the legacy that we have at Florida State in trying to get it right, that demands excellence on the field,”
McCullough said. “A trajectory going in the right direction, and I just did not see that trajectory. Yesterday was a bit of a defining moment for me going forward.”
He told reporters that he had spoken to other university presidents and had read emails, social media posts, fan comments, and a variety of other sources before coming to today’s decision.
“We listen to the fans, even social media. I read all the emails. I talk to my trustees, I talk to boosters, donors, football staff,” McCullough said. “Then you look at the body of work. The results didn’t show in the way that he or us wanted it to happen.”
McCullough described it as a business decision rather than a trigger reaction and confirmed he made the final call.
“This is not a trigger thing,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m the president of the university, and I made the decision.”
McCollough stated that the next head coaching hire would “got to be a Florida State person”, then elaborated, saying that it would have to be a “character” pick, not necessarily alluding to the person having to be an alumnus, or current or former assistant.
Parker Associates, led by Daniel Parker, has been retained to conduct both the athletic director and head coach searches simultaneously. McCullough said the firm was hired Friday and the searches are already underway.
“This is the thing that I’m working on,” McCullough said. “As soon as we finished our series of meetings about moving forward on structure, we’ve made a lot of progress on all that. It’s top priority for us to get this all done. Time is of the essence.”
Norvell was allowed to speak to the players after the decision was made, with Warwick saying that his parting words were, “don’t let up” and he left to a standing ovation.
Warwick emphasized the urgency of the recruiting calendar, pointing to the January transfer portal and National Signing Day. He added that the university has begun contacting committed recruits.
“We’re going to call these recruits that were already committed tonight and kind of give them a rundown,” Warwick said. “In this day and age, they move around so quickly anyway.”
McCullough also addressed the shifting landscape of college football, including NIL and revenue sharing.
“The world of college football has changed every year since 2023, almost every six months,” McCullough said. “We’re supposed to follow the cap.”
Rick Stockstill has been named interim head coach for the final four games. Ernie Sims was elevated to interim defensive coordinator and Greg Moss to safeties coach following the dismissals of Tony White and Evan Cooper.
Warwick described Stockstill’s selection as the clearest path for the remainder of the season.
“He’s coached 224 games in college football. He understands this institution. He has great love for this area,”
“He understands the recruiting areas that we’re in and out of. He’s got a good pulse on our team.”
Video via Warchant
