After the Florida State football team lost at Stanford in October, there was speculation that the school might move on from head coach Mike Norvell. Instead of doing it during their bye week, they announced that they’ll decide at the end of the season.
As far as Florida State fans are concerned, the decision should be an easy one: fire Norvell.
That is a lot easier said than done for the FSU decision-makers. Why? Well, a win at Florida next Saturday and the Seminoles will be bowl-eligible. On the flip side, if they were to fire him, it would be a costly one.
How Much is Mike Norvell’s Buyout?
Friday night, Florida State hit another low in the 2025 season under Norvell with a 21-11 loss at North Carolina State. They fell to 5-6 with the 10-point loss, but it was how it happened. They had back-to-back turnovers on punts and then trailed by 10 points late in the game when Norvell sent out a kicker who had a career-long of 49 yards to attempt a 52-yard field goal. He missed it, of course.
As for Norvell’s buyout, this is not going to be a cheap decision. If Florida State fires Norvell, they will owe him $54.8 million, which would be the second-highest buyout ever. Texas A&M’s buyout of Jimbo Fisher takes the cake with a $76.8 million payout back in 2023. Pete Nakos of On3 explained a recent extension Norvell signed and some key details.
“Norvell signed an eight-year extension through the 2031 season worth more than $84 million before incentives, before the 2024 season. According to Norvell’s contract, he is owed 85 percent of his remaining salary as a buyout,” Nakos wrote.
Not only would buying out Norvell be costly, but sources have told Nakos that firing Norvell and hiring another coach could be much more expensive.
“Sources have told On3 that the cost of firing Norvell and his staff, along with making the next hire, would be in the $100 million range,” Nakos wrote.
How Did Mike Norvell Get Here?
Just two years ago, Florida State went 13-0, won the ACC Championship Game over Louisville, and was left out of the four-team College Football Playoff. They lost quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending injury, which clearly the committee took into consideration.
From that point on, things have been nothing short of a disaster for the Seminoles. They went 2-10 in 2024, and this year, they are 5-6 overall, 2-6 in the ACC, and have gone 3-13 in the conference in the last two years. Mind you, that was done after they had unsuccessfully tried to leave the conference, but nobody would take them.
They opened the season with a win over No. 8 Alabama, but have struggled since. All five wins have been at home, and they lost to Pittsburgh and Wake Forest at home. Now Norvell’s future may hinge on beating Florida next Saturday in The Swamp.
It would be a big fall from just two years ago if Florida State loses next week to miss a bowl game for a second straight year; it could be a costly end of the line in Tallahassee.
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