Following three straight losses, Florida State has decided to move on from coach Mike Norvell.

On Sunday afternoon, Florida State fired Norvell midway through his seventh season. Norvell departs from the Seminoles with a 41–39 overall record and a roughly $50 million buyout, the third-highest in college football history after Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher (2023, near $77 million) and LSU’s Brian Kelly (2025, $54 million). The buyout is subject to offset and mitigation, meaning the final amount can be reduced if Norvell finds another job. 

On Saturday night, Florida State fell to Clemson, 36–24, moving it to 3–5 on the season. Before kickoff, a banner flew above Doak Campbell Stadium reading “Fire Mike Novell – Peter Collins.” Norvell’s name was misspelled; Collins refers to the chairman of the Florida State University Board of Trustees. 

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who’s been under considerable pressure himself this season, took exception to the banner postgame. 

“[Norvell] ain’t gonna say it, but I’ll say it. I was freaking disappointed to see that. Hell, they may be flying one around Clemson next time I’m home, but I doubt it. I doubt it. But whoever did that, man, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

Norvell’s dismissal follows months of speculation about his future.

Earlier in the week, school president Richard McCollough penned a letter to fans, where he stopped short of mentioning Norvell’s future but acknowledged frustration with the results. 

“The standard is not negotiable,” McCullough wrote. “This is a consequential moment for Florida State. We have extraordinary tradition, a passionate national following, exceptional institutional support and the opportunity to build something worthy of the Seminole name.

“We are not asking you to lower expectations. We are telling you that we share and embrace them. We are not asking you to ignore the results. We are committed to changing them.” 

On Sunday evening, McCullough described Norvell’s firing as “a very complicated decision” as well as a “big business decision.” 

“I have just not seen that trajectory,” McCullough said. “And [Saturday] was a bit of a defining moment for me going forward.”

Norvell’s firing comes several weeks after athletic director Michael Alford was let go on Sept. 14. McCollough said the school had already hired Daniel Parker of Parker Associates to conduct the athletic director search. Now Parker will conduct both searches simultaneously.

“It’s top priority for us to get all of this done,” said McCullough. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to say ‘What happens in January? What happens in December?’ … Time is of the essence.”

Norvell was named National Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading Florida State to a 13–1 season. The Seminoles won the ACC Championship but were left out of the College Football Playoff after quarterback Jordan Travis sustained a season-ending injury. Norvell signed an eight-year, $84 million contract extension in 2024. The Seminoles have gone 10–22 since.

Florida State is set for an expensive overhaul, considering Norvell’s buyout and the cost of building a new coaching staff and recruiting players for the 2027 season. McCollough indicated that’s all been considered.

“We’ve been working on this thing for quite awhile,” McCullough said. “Working all contingencies and financial aspects. Obviously we’ll have to figure all of that out. But we’re at the point now where, you know, how can we afford not to do this?”