Following the dismissal of Mike Norvell, Florida State has turned to a member of its own Athletics Hall of Fame to serve as interim head coach. Former Seminoles quarterback Rick Stockstill has stepped into the role after joining FSU in January 2024 as the director of scouting for offense. This reunion came after an 18-year stint serving as head coach at Middle Tennessee State University.
Stockstill finished at MTSU with a record of 113-111. He led the program to 10 bowl appearances and was named Coach
of the Year in his conference three times. In 2022, Stockstill’s Blue Raiders notched the program’s first-ever victory over a ranked opponent by traveling to South Florida and dropping 45 points on then-25th ranked Miami (Fla).
Stockstill worked as an assistant coach at Clemson from 1989-2002 before stints at East Carolina and South Carolina prior to taking over at MTSU. As an assistant, he primarily worked with quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Stockstill was a bona fide leader during his playing days in Tallahassee. From his Seminoles.com bio:
Stockstill played quarterback at Florida State from 1977-81. He led the Seminoles to a 10-2 record and No. 5 final ranking in 1980, a season that included a win at No. 3 Nebraska and a home victory over No. 3 Pittsburgh in consecutive weeks. Stockstill was a team captain in 1981 and led FSU to wins at No. 7 Ohio State, Notre Dame and LSU as part of a stretch of five straight road games.
He finished his career with 250 completions, 2,834 passing yards and 26 passing touchdowns. His touchdowns total ranked fifth on FSU’s all-time list at the end of his career, and his completions and passing yards totals both ranked sixth.
Stockstill graduated from FSU in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
