News Article
Published
Oct 13, 2026 at 11:51 AM EDT
Florida State hasn’t fired Mike Norvell, but the list of possible successors is already getting passed around.
Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham made that list for college football analyst J.D. PicKell, who posted a video on X naming the coaches he’d call if the Florida State Seminoles job opened.
PicKell's opening verdict on the incumbent ran four words: “Mike Norvell is cooked.”
Dillingham came up moments later. Pickell noted that:
“I don’t know if he takes the job, but at least call Kenny Dillingham,” PicKell said. “Is there a world where Kenny Dillingham says, you know what? I love ASU. My heart’s here in Tempe. However, if Florida State is going to give me a different level of resources here, at some point in time, you got to spread your wings.”
Jimbo Fisher didn’t make the cut. Duke’s Manny Diaz, SMU’s Rhett Lashlee and Memphis’ Charles Huff also made his list.
The Seminoles fell to 3-3 and 1-2 in ACC play with a 44-20 loss at Louisville on Oct. 9.
Louisville outscored FSU 44-6 after trailing 14-0, a swing that started with Isaac Brown’s 97-yard touchdown run right after a failed Seminoles fourth down.
It was Florida State’s 11th straight road loss, and Norvell is 4-15 across his past 19 conference games.
Firing him won’t come cheap. On3’s Pete Nakos put Norvell’s buyout at roughly $51 million, with a duty-to-mitigate provision, and estimated that replacing him and hiring a fresh staff would cost about $100 million.
“Sources continue to tell On3 that a change mid-season appears unlikely but is not off the table,” Nakos wrote.
Resources are the heart of the Dillingham pitch, and they’re a sore spot. Per Nakos, Florida State trails the ACC’s best-funded programs, and the school dismissed athletic director Michael Alford this fall.
Nakos reported decision-makers wanted 7-5 or better for Norvell to stay into 2027. FSU now needs three wins from Miami, Clemson, Boston College, Pittsburgh, North Carolina State, and Florida just to go bowling.