Florida State's Mike Norvell Shuts Down Hot Seat Talk

How much patience does Florida State still have with Mike Norvell?

After going 13-1 in 2023 and only missing the four-team College Football Playoff that season due to an injury to quarterback Jordan Travis, the Seminoles went 2-10 in 2024 and 5-7 in 2025. There was chatter around college football that Norvell could be fired after the 2025 campaign, but the buyout of approximately $58 million appeared to be too big of an obstacle.

Per On3, Norvell’s buyout will drop to $45.6 million after the 2026 season and $36.8 million after the 2027 season.

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During Wednesday’s ACC Kickoff media event, Norvell told The Athletic that he didn’t believe he was on the hot seat going into the 2026 campaign.

"I don't fear failure. I never have. I do fear regret," Norvell said. "And the only thing that I could be in control of is me, the team, the guys that I get to lead on a daily basis. And so, you know, I just want to make sure that I don't regret any of the work or the investment into these guys to help put them in the best position for what I believe we can accomplish."

Norvell is 38-24 overall and 22-26 in ACC play during his first six seasons with FSU. The Noles won the ACC championship in 2023. Since then, FSU’s rival, the Miami Hurricanes, made the CFP national championship in 2025 and appear poised to return to the playoff and win the ACC championship this season.

Norvell should feel uncomfortable coming into the regular season. FSU will have challenging non-conference games with Alabama and Florida. The Noles should be underdogs against ACC foes SMU, Louisville, Miami and Clemson.

Norvell hasn’t led FSU to a bowl game since 2023, and it’ll be an uphill battle for the Seminoles to make a bowl game this season. That certainly shouldn’t be the standard in Tallahassee.

Should Norvell struggle this fall, it remains to be seen if FSU is willing to pay the $45.6 million buyout.

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This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 12:34 PM.