A season that begin with great expectations, a promising win against Alabama and an eventual No. 7 national ranking is now in tatters at Florida State, prompting school leaders to weigh in on the future of embattled coach Mike Norvell.
Norving, leading the Seminoles on the heels of a disastrous 2-10 2024 season, appeared to have charted a new course for the program with its season-opening, two-touchdown win against then-No. 8 Alabama.
Instead, those two programs have gone in disparate directions since that moment in time. The Tide has not lost again and climbed to No. 4 in Sunday’s AP Top 25.
Florida State has not won a game of consequence since that moment; has yet to win an ACC game in more than a calendar year and just returned home Sunday morning from a stunning, 20-13 loss at Stanford — which entered that contest as an 18-point underdog despite being the home team.
By Monday morning, Florida State Athletics Director Michael Alford was left no choice but to publicly comment on the status of Norvell’s future atop Seminoles football.
“Florida State football benefits from unmatched passionate support from the entire FSU family, and the commitment to our football program is unwavering,” said Alford, who arrived to take over the top athletics chair in Tallahassee, Florida, after Norvell’s first season at FSU. “We rightfully have high expectations in everything we do to represent Florida State in the manner that built our reputation as one of college football’s best programs, cultivating an extraordinary group of supporters nationally and globally.
“We embrace those expectations while sharing the deep disappointment when results on the field are short of that standard. As we continue to move forward this season, our comprehensive assessment of the football program will be completed at season’s end.
“Meanwhile, we are fully committed to helping Coach Norvell and the 2025 Seminoles strongly rebound in the coming weeks.”
While Alford’s statement essentially is boilerplate support, sources on Sunday and Monday morning told FootballScoop that far more pressing for Florida State is its present financial reality, particularly as it relates to the potential buyout of Norvell’s long-term contract.
Aflord extended Norvell after the 2023 season, one in which Norvell guided the Seminoles to an 13-1 mark and just missed the College Football Playoff due to an injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis, to an annual salary of above $8 million that vaulted inside the top-20 highest-paid coaches in college football.
After last season’s unmitigated disaster, Norvell had his pay reduced this season down to $5.65 million — 45th in college football, per USA Today.
Not reduced, however, on Norvell’s deal that runs into 2031? The buyout. And it’s a whopping sticker price of more than $58 million.
Florida State hosts Wake Forest in two weeks, Nov. 1, after its final bye week on Saturday.
The Seminoles are 0-4 in the ACC but having lost those games by a combined 24 points. In addition to Wake Forest, FSU travels to Clemson, hosts Virginia Tech and closes its season with consecutive road games at NC State and in-state rival Florida, which Sunday fired Billy Napier.
