Florida State Could Turn to Familiar Face if HC Mike Norvell is Fired

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell has been on the hot seat for years.

The 44-year-old is just three years removed from a 13-1 season and Orange Bowl appearance, but things went south quickly for Norvell after former star quarterback Jordan Travis left the program.

An underperforming football program is not something Florida State is used to.

The school took drastic action toward turning things around earlier this week when it fired athletic director Michael Alford.

FSU president Richard McCullough addressed Norvell’s status after Alford’s firing, stating both he and the team were working on winning together but not fully committing to keeping him around either.

“Look, I love Mike Norvell,” McCullough said. “He is a great human being. I love what he does with our student-athletes. Our grades have never been better under his leadership. I love how he takes our student-athletes and helps them to be the best version of themselves. I love how he makes them competitive, and we love all that.”

With Alford gone, it would make sense that FSU’s next AD got rid of Norvell too and hand-picked the coach that he wants to lead the football program.

If that change happens, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported that the school could bring back a familiar face: Jimbo Fisher.

“It’s starting to feel like a matter of when, not if, Florida State will make a coaching change this season,” Feldman wrote. “… One interesting development we’ve heard recently is the prospect of former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher returning to take over the program.

“The 60-year-old Fisher, who led the Seminoles to the national title to cap the 2013 season and then oversaw the beginning of the program’s backslide a few years later before taking the Texas A&M job, really wants the job, we’ve heard. Industry sources told The Athletic that FSU brass is looking into the possibility.”

Fisher hasn’t coached since 2023.

But when he was with Florida State from 2010 to 2017, many believed he was one of the top head coaches in the country. During that eight-year run, Fisher compiled an 83-23 record with five bowl wins, three ACC championships, and one national championship.

He left to take over at Texas A&M, where he posted a 45-25 record in six seasons before being fired with two games left in the regular season. The Aggies paid Fisher $77.5 million buyout — the largest in the history of college football.