Mike Norvell is out of a job after Florida State fired him Sunday following a 36-24 loss to Clemson that dropped the Seminoles' record to 3-5.e Florida State will owe Norvell nearly $50 million, subject to mitigation, in what is the third-largest buyout in college football history. Losing your job is never easy, though that substantial amount of money can afford Norvell the ability to be choosy in what he does next. There seem to be three main paths Norvell can take in 2027.
It may not have worked out in the end, but Norvell has some strong resume points. He has four seasons of 10 or more wins (2 at Memphis, 2 at Florida State) and will always have that perfect 13-0 2023 regular season. Norvell has a reputation for a strong offensive mind and X's and O's expertise, too.
Options for this cycle might be limited for Norvell, however. Unless the carousel really gets swinging and we see a significant domino effect, there just may not be that many Power Four and Group of Six jobs that feel like a fit. The most obvious would be a return to Memphis if Charles Huff gets a Power Four job elsewhere.
Norvell has already had success at the school and knows it has the resources to do well at that level. North Carolina State is focused on Philip Rivers, which seemingly eliminates the Wolfpack as an option. It's still early in the Maryland and Baylor searches, though he could emerge as a possible candidate depending on the route those schools take.
Last cycle we saw two fired coaches (Billy Napier, James Franklin) and one quasi-retired, quasi-pushed-out coach (Kyle Whittingham) quickly jump into new head coaching roles. This would be Norvell's preference, according to industry sources, but it'll need to be the right fit. Don't expect Norvell to pursue the vacant Sam Houston State job.
If there's not a viable, attractive head coaching opportunity, perhaps Norvell goes the offensive coordinator path. Oregon and Oklahoma, for instance, are in the market for new offensive coordinators after firing Drew Mehringer and Ben Arbuckle, respectively. Norvell and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning have a long-standing friendship, dating back to their days working on Todd Graham's Pittsburgh staff.
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