Florida State Seminoles' Coaching Opening Has a Deion Sanders Backstory

Mike Norvell's exit brings an old Florida State conversation back into focus, with an important distinction for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders arrives at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Florida State dismissed coach Mike Norvell from his role as head coach Sunday, just a day after a 36-24 home loss to Clemson dropped the Seminoles to 3-5. Norvell went 41-39 in Tallahassee, and his exit leaves the school owing a buyout of roughly $47 million.

The fall came fast for a coach who led Florida State to a 13-0 ACC championship season in 2023, only to watch his team get left out of the College Football Playoff. The Seminoles have gone 10-22 since the start of the 2024 season.

Oct 3, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell before the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former Florida State quarterback and longtime Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill will lead the team for the final four regular-season games, while search firm Parker & Associates runs the hunt for a new coach and a new athletic director.

Every opening in Tallahassee pulls one famous name back into the conversation, and this one comes with history. When Florida State last searched for a coach in 2019, Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders spoke with school officials about the job. 

As it stands currently, there are no verified reporting linking Sanders to this search, but the 2019 chapter explains why fans keep connecting the dots.

Deion Sanders and Florida State’s 2019 coaching search

Florida State fired Willie Taggart Nov. 3, 2019, just 21 games into his tenure, and NFL Network reported days later that Sanders had emerged as a candidate. Then an NFL Network analyst, Sanders pushed back on his Sunday night show Nov. 10, 2019.

“I have not spoken to anyone from Florida State regarding this,” Sanders said. “But let me assure you, I am 100 percent, 100 percent, desiring to coach at the next level and I will.”

Deion Sanders spoke with Florida State officials about the coaching opening in 2019, before the school hired Mike Norvell. | USA TODAY Sports

Florida State introduced Norvell as its coach Dec. 8, 2019. Ten months later, an October 2020 Sports Illustrated story filled in the rest, reporting that Sanders spoke with officials at his alma mater about the opening in 2019 and also interviewed for the Arkansas job that same cycle.

Sanders has talked about that stretch himself, and he never sounded short on confidence. On The Dan Le Batard Show in February 2022, he said he interviewed for three Power Five jobs and believed he should have gotten them.

Deion Sanders built his legend at Florida State

The connection runs deeper than one coaching search. Sanders played at Florida State in the late 80s (1985 to 1988), earned All-America honors in 1987 and 1988, and won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back as a senior.

He also played baseball and ran track for the Seminoles. Florida State retired his No. 2 jersey in 1995, and he entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Deion Sanders returns an interception during the Atlanta Falcons game against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 1, 1989 at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisc. | Damian Strohmeyer / Sports Illustrated

Deion Sanders’ coaching career took off after the 2019 search

Jackson State hired Sanders Sept. 21, 2020, less than three weeks before that SI report ran. He went 27-6 in Jackson and won SWAC championships in 2021 and 2022.

Along the way, he landed a blow on his old school. No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter flipped his commitment from Norvell’s Florida State to Jackson State Dec. 15, 2021, then followed Sanders to Colorado and won the Heisman Trophy in 2024.

Colorado then hired Sanders Dec. 3, 2022. His Buffaloes went 4-8 in his first season, 9-4 with an Alamo Bowl trip in 2024 and 3-9 last season, and they sit at 3-5 this fall.

Richard McCullough wants a new beginning at Florida State

Sanders has not commented publicly on the opening since Norvell’s firing.

Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) with head coach Deion Sanders against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Florida State President Richard McCullough did speak on the record Sunday, and he made clear the decision on Norvell came down to where the program was headed.

“I’m just not seeing that trajectory,” McCullough said at an evening news conference.

He also cast the move as a fresh start for a program that has gone from unbeaten to unrecognizable in less than three years.

“Today is about a new beginning for Florida State,” McCullough said.

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