Mike Norvell went 13-0 before bowl season with the Florida State Seminoles in 2023. The football gods rewarded him with an ankle injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis and a place as the biggest snub in College Football Playoff history. Florida State administrators rewarded him with an eight-year, $84 million contract extension.
The doorstep of greatness at a university that expects free passage inside turned out to be Norvell's limit. The Seminoles cratered in 2024, winning only two games and losing by 16 points or more six times in the final eight weeks of the year. A 5-7 season followed, but the specter of a buyout that topped $50 millionkept him employed for 2026.
Florida State showed signs of life early in the season, albeit in closer-than-expected
losses to SMU and Alabama. But three straight losses in ACC play soon followed. Losing to Clemson yesterday under late-stage Dabo Sweeney? That was something Florida State could not abide.
So, Norvell is out.
BREAKING: Florida State has fired head coach Mike Norvell, @theathletic.com has learned.
— Chris Vannini (@chrisvannini.com) 2026-11-01T20:38:35.495Z
Let's talk about the most likely candidates to succeed Norvell.
Manny Diaz, Duke head coach
Diaz is a Florida State alum who began his coaching career as a graduate assistant there in 1998. In the years since he's worked his way into a pair of top jobs in the ACC. He was fired after three seasons and a 21-15 record at the University of Miami. Three years later, he climbed to the top spot at Duke and opened with back-to-back nine-win seasons -- including an ACC championship squad last winter.
Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State head coach
Dillingham was Norvell's offensive coordinator early, designing the playbook in 2020 and 2021 before moving on to Oregon for one season, then taking the top job at Arizona State. A 3-9 2023 gave way to an 11-win 2024 that earned a Big 12 title and turned Cam Skattebo into a household name. That was the Sun Devils' first 11-win season in nearly three decades, cementing his bonafides as a rising star even if he's only 4-4 in 2026.
Tony Elliott, Virginia head coach
Like with Diaz, the Seminoles could weaken a conference foe while building themselves back up by convincing Elliott to leave Charlottesville. The 2025 ACC Coach of the Year led the Cavaliers to their first ranking in the final AP Top 25 since 2004 while winning 11 games. He spent a more than a decade as an assistant at Clemson, which gives him a reliable background in all things ACC.
Jeff Traylor, Texas-San Antonio head coach
Traylor has built the Roadrunners into one of the best teams in the Group of 6. He'll earn plenty of interest from needy schools around Texas -- Baylor possibly foremost among them -- but his recruiting acumen could hold up outside the Lone Star State and his ability to do more with less could be an asset for a program that will have to dedicate a significant chunk of money that could have been spent on roster building on Norvell's buyout. Traylor is responsible for six of the seven bowl invitations in UTSA history and, at 7-1, is careening toward a seventh.
Jimbo Fisher, former Florida State head coach
Fisher led FSU to a 2013 national title and was 83-23 in eight years in Tallahassee. He then decamped for Texas A&M, who eventually paid him nearly $77 million just to go away. That means he's familiar with the program and potentially a much less expensive hire than other active coaches with high salary demands and contract buyouts. However, Fisher went just 19-15 before the Aggies fired him. He hasn't coaches since 2023.
What is Mike Norvell's buyout at Florida State?
Norvell will be paid $47.1 million not to coach the Seminoles over the next few seasons. However, language in his contract stipulates he look for head coaching work, with the salary he receives at his next stop offsetting some of that payout. It is the third-largest buyout in college football history.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 5 Florida State head coach candidates after Mike Norvell's firing, including 1 old friend
