Florida State Fires Mike Norvell After Clemson Loss; Rick Stockstill Named Interim Coach

Florida State fired football coach Mike Norvell on Sunday, Nov. 1, ending a seven-season run that peaked with an unbeaten ACC title in 2023 and then fell apart. The move came roughly 12 hours after Saturday night’s 36-24 home loss to Clemson, according to AP.

The school named Rick Stockstill, a former Seminoles quarterback and longtime Middle Tennessee head coach, as interim head coach. FSU said it will immediately begin looking nationally for a permanent replacement.

Did Mike Norvell get fired?

Yes. In a release, Florida State said university president Richard McCullough told Norvell on Sunday afternoon that the school was “making a change in the leadership of its football program, effective immediately.”

“We have made the decision to change the leadership of our football program,” McCullough said. “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.”

On3’s Warchant noted that FSU leaders had previously said they did not plan to make coaching decisions until the season ended. The Clemson loss changed that. Florida State was favored by nearly a touchdown, according to Warchant, but committed four turnovers and trailed for nearly the whole game.

ESPN reported, citing a source, that defensive coordinator Tony White and safeties coach Evan Cooper were also fired Sunday.

Mike Norvell buyout: about $50 million

The decision is expensive. AP said Florida State is taking on a buyout of roughly $50 million, among the largest in college football history. Warchant explained that Norvell still had five years left on the extension he signed after the 2023 season. It also reported that any money he earns from future coaching jobs will be deducted from what FSU owes.

Norvell at FSU: from 13-0 to 3-5

Norvell went 41-39 at Florida State. The high point was 2023, when the Seminoles went 13-0, won the ACC and were part of a 19-game winning streak across 2022 and 2023, which the school says ranks third-longest in ACC history.

That season also brought the moment many fans point to as the turning point. With star quarterback Jordan Travis injured, the College Football Playoff committee left the unbeaten Seminoles out of the four-team field, ESPN noted.

The slide since then has been steep:

• 2024: 2-10
• 2025: 5-7
• 2026: 3-5, after losses at Louisville and Miami and now at home to Clemson

AP put Norvell’s record at 10-22 since the start of 2024. ESPN counted 10-23 since the 2023 snub, and Warchant said FSU has lost 23 of its last 33 games. Whatever the exact count, the program missed bowl games in each of the past two seasons, according to the school.

AP also pointed to quarterback trouble. Norvell’s hand-picked quarterbacks, DJ Uiagalelei, Tommy Castellanos and Ashton Daniels, all struggled with accuracy.

Who is Rick Stockstill?

Stockstill is in his third season on the FSU staff, most recently as director of offensive scouting. Before that he spent 18 years as head coach at Middle Tennessee State and 23 years as a Division I assistant.

He is also a Florida State legend. Stockstill played quarterback for Bobby Bowden from 1977 to 1981 and led the 1980 team to a 10-2 record and a No. 5 final ranking. As a senior, he guided wins at No. 7 Ohio State, Notre Dame and LSU. He was inducted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

“We are confident in Rick Stockstill’s ability to provide steady leadership during this transition,” McCullough said.

What’s next for Florida State football

The Seminoles play at Boston College on Saturday, Warchant reported, in Stockstill’s first game in charge. The bigger question is who comes next. None of the reports cited here name candidates, including former FSU national title coach Jimbo Fisher, and the school has not identified anyone. The school said only that it wants a coach who “embraces Florida State’s tradition of championship athletics.”

The firing also comes during wider change in Tallahassee. The Tallahassee Democrat noted that FSU fired athletic director Michael Alford on Sept. 14.