The Mike Norvell era at Florida State ended on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. Following his hire on Dec. 8, 2019, Norvell boasted a 41-39 record and a 22-30 conference record.
His best year as the Seminoles’ head coach came in 2023, when he led the team to an undefeated regular season before missing the playoffs, as the committee put one loss Alabama ahead of them in the final playoff rankings after starting quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending leg injury in the latter part of the season.
Since missing the playoffs in 2023, the Seminoles went 2-10 in 2024 and then 5-7 in 2025; both of those teams were marred by inconsistent quarterback play as they kept trying to hit on a transfer quarterback, bringing in Clemson transfer DJ Uiagalelei in 2024 and then Boston College transfer Thomas Castellanos in 2025. Both years, the offense struggled severely.
The 2026 season was do-or-die for Norvell, whose job was already in the hot seat prior to the start of the season, but the final break came when the Seminoles went 3-5 through eight games, marked once again by poor offensive execution.
Now the search begins to try and bring in a new coach to help rebuild the FSU football team.
Many coaches are being added to lists as potential coaches, including Glenn Schumann, Manny Diaz, Jimbo Fisher, Eli Drinkwitz, and Brian Kelly. But sadly, for Noles fans, Drinkwitz has publicly announced that he has no interest in taking the FSU job and will be sticking with Missouri.
Diaz, the head coach of Duke, also publicly announced he was “happy at Duke” and denied interest in the FSU job. Former LSU and Notre Dame coach Kelly has publicly expressed interest in the job, saying, “Leading the program would be an honor and a privilege.”
While he hasn't said anything publicly, former Noles coach Fisher has reportedly expressed interest in returning to his former team to coach again. He's been on a break from coaching college football after being fired by Texas A&M in 2023.
Fisher had some success during his tenure at FSU, earning multiple ten-win seasons, and in his fourth season as head coach, he won the 2014 national championship, defeating Auburn 34-31.
While it’s too early to tell who will be hired as the next coach at FSU, these are names to watch as the Seminoles look to make a good hire who can bring some of the early 2010s success back to the program and, hopefully, have them competing for more national championships.