Florida State Fires Coach Mike Norvell After Clemson Loss, With a Buyout of More Than $50 Million

Florida State has fired its head football coach, Mike Norvell. The final decision was made on Sunday afternoon, after Saturday night's 36-24 loss to Clemson in front of thousands of empty seats. University president Richard McCullough met with athletic department administrators and donors over the following hours to settle the coach's future.

Florida State's record this season stands at 3-5, with only one win in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Frustration among Seminoles fans had boiled over to the point that many stayed away from Doak S. Campbell Stadium.

Announcing the decision, President Richard McCullough said: 'We have made the decision to change the leadership of our football program. 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.'

Norvell does not leave cheaply. Under the buyout clause in the contract extension he had secured, the school will pay him $50.3 million.

Rick Stockstill has been announced as the interim head coach following Norvell's departure.

Three years ago, Florida State was in the mix for a College Football Playoff spot. The team finished that regular season 12-0, but after quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury, the Seminoles were left out of the postseason. Norvell never found that level of success again: the team went 2-10 in 2024 and 5-7 last season.

The turmoil is not limited to the coaching job. In September the school announced that athletic director Michael Alford was being fired, so Florida State is also searching for a new athletic director.

Just days before the firing, President McCullough had written an open letter to supporters pleading with them to show up for the student-athletes over the remainder of the 2026 season. Had Florida State not taken Miami to overtime two weeks ago, the move might have come even earlier.

Over the weekend, social media also buzzed over a plane flying a banner calling for Norvell to be fired — even though the banner misspelled the coach's name.

Florida State's coaching search now begins, alongside the search for a new athletic director to replace Michael Alford.