Florida State's season fell apart Saturday night, when the Seminoles lost 36-24 to Clemson at home, their third straight defeat. About 12 hours later, the school fired Mike Norvell in his seventh season, with a reported buyout of around $50.3 million, one of the largest in college football history. FSU has now dropped to 3-5 overall this season, and 1-4 in the ACC.
Norvell went just 24-30 in ACC play since 2020, and his undefeated 13-0 team in 2023 now seems like ancient history. Defensive coordinator Tony White was also let go, and former Seminoles quarterback Rick Stockstill has taken over as the interim coach. Things only got worse for the program on Tuesday, when ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that star wide receiver Duce Robinson will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered against Clemson.
More news: Oklahoma Fires Coach After Embarrassing 20-Point Loss to SEC Rival Robinson is a 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior wideout who started his career at USC, spending two seasons with the Trojans before transferring to Florida State in 2025. In his first season with the Seminoles, he hauled in 56 catches for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns, earning first-team All-ACC honors. He chose to return to FSU rather than enter the 2026 NFL Draft, and this year he leads the team with 24 catches for 438 yards and four touchdowns in eight games.
The injury is yet another blow to an offense that already lost star running back Ousmane Kromah for the season with an ankle injury. It also takes away quarterback Ashton Daniels' top target and comes with a new coach simply trying to hold the team together. More news: Michigan Makes Stunning Decision That Could Spell the End for Bryce Underwood More news: David Pollack Raises Major Concerns About Ohio State After USC Loss The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for Robinson either, who is viewed as one of the top prospects in the 2027 draft.
He could still return for another season, which he may have to do if his draft stock takes a hit due to the injury. However, given the current state of the program, that would also be a gamble. As for the Seminoles, they have four games left to try and salvage their season.
They will next travel to Boston College on Saturday before going to Pittsburgh on Nov. 13, hosting NC State on Nov. 21, and closing out the season on Nov. 27 at home against Florida. They would likely need to win at least three of those games to be bowl eligible.
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