Florida State fired coach Mike Norvell on Sunday, a day after a loss at Clemson and one that will cost the school a buyout of $50 million that is among the largest in college football history.
Norvell won 19 straight games from the middle of the 2022 season through an ACC title in December 2023. But the Seminoles went 10-22 since the start of the 2024 season, and Norvell’s hand-picked quarterbacks — DJ Uiagalelei, Tommy Castellanos and Ashton Daniels — all struggled with accuracy.
Florida State is 1-5 vs. Power 4 programs this fall, including Saturday's 36-24 loss to Clemson in which the Seminoles were a five-point favorite. The Seminoles have not defeated one of their main three rivals (Miami, Florida or Clemson) since the 2023 season.
“We have made the decision to change the leadership of our football program,” FSU president Richard McCullough said in a statement on Sunday afternoon. “We thank Mike Norvell for his commitment and service to Florida State and wish him and his family the very best. We understand the deep passion of Seminole fans and share their high expectations for this program. We are confident in Rick Stockstill’s ability to provide steady leadership during this transition. We will conduct a thorough national search for the program’s next leader, someone who embraces Florida State’s tradition of championship athletics and our standard of excellence.”
FSU announced Rick Stockstill would be the interim head coach. Stockstill has been FSU’s director of scouting (offense). He previously was the head coach at Middle Tennessee from 2006-23, and Stockstill was FSU’s quarterback in the 1981 Octoberfest season.
A press conference will be held this evening with McCullough and interim athletics director Bruce Warwick.
Norvell went 41-39 in his six-plus seasons in Tallahassee, which also included a stunning loss to then-FCS Jacksonville State in 2021 and Memphis in 2024 in guarantee games. Norvell went just 24-30 in ACC games since 2020.
His buyout is approximately $50 million, which is 85 percent of his remaining salary through the end of Norvell's contract through the 2031 season. There is an offset clause if Norvell were to land another job, which would give Florida State some relief on the buyout. In 2026, Norvell earned $10.3 million.
The combined buyouts for Maryland's Mike Locksley, NC State's Dave Doeren and Baylor's Dave Aranda are reportedly far less (combined) than Norvell's total. Florida State's opening is now the fourth among Power 4 schools.
Florida State (3-5, 1-4 ACC) now plays at Boston College (4-4, 2-3) on Saturday at noon with Stockstill as the interim head coach. The Seminoles’ only win over a Power 4 program this fall came with a 38-7 victory over Virginia on Oct. 3.
Even with a competitive player acquisition budget compared to ACC schools, Florida State won just five Power 4 games in the last 2.5 seasons. The Seminoles suffered back-to-back losing seasons and are scrambling to become bowl-eligible this fall with Stockstill at the helm.
McCullough issued a statement expressing that he shared in the frustration with fans on Tuesday, just days before the 36-24 loss to Clemson.
"We are not asking you to ignore the results," McCullough wrote in a lengthy statement to fans. "We are committed to changing them. And we are not asking you to believe that everything is fine. We know it isn't."
Florida State has struggled since 2015, going just 44-49 under Jimbo Fisher, Willie Taggart and Norvell.
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