$58.6 million college football coach misses bowl game for second straight season

Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell walks the sidelines during the first quarter against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

Florida State closed the 2025 college football season with a 40-21 loss at Florida on Saturday, finishing 5-7 and missing a bowl for a second straight year.

The defeat capped a rough stretch. FSU is 7-16 since its 13-0 regular season and ACC title run in 2023 and has now gone more than 1,000 days without a road win. 

The Seminoles’ inconsistency this fall (a signature upset of Alabama followed by several ugly road losses) crystallized into another losing season and plenty of public heat on coach Mike Norvell. 

Still, university leaders announced on November 23 that Norvell will return as head coach in 2026 after a "comprehensive assessment" of the program and promises of structural changes to the roster, recruiting, and personnel operations. 

Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell walks on the field before a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Norvell arrived in Tallahassee after building Memphis into a national story (including an 11-1 regular season and an AAC title in 2019) and then delivered Florida State’s 2023 ACC championship and a 13-1 finish that season — achievements that earned him multiple national coach-of-the-year honors. 

That recent peak is what still gives boosters and administrators pause about making an immediate change.

Yet, FSU’s 2024 campaign was a disaster (2-10), prompting staff shakeups and a restructured contract for Norvell, and his 2025 Seminoles haven't looked much better. 

Even after dismissing several assistants following the 2024 slide, the fixes have not produced consistent results. 

Norvell's reworked deal, which extended through 2031 and included a temporary pay concession, contains a buyout structure that would require Florida State to pay roughly 85% of the remaining guaranteed compensation if it fired him without cause. 

Multiple estimates put the near-term buyout at around $58.6 million, one of the larger figures in college football. 

If Norvell doesn’t produce a clear turnaround in 2026, the university will face the same public scrutiny, but with fewer excuses.

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