Pete Thamel names major college coach next to be fired

In a discussion on ESPN's College GameDay podcast, ESPN writer Pete Thamel help forth on the coach likely to be next to the firing line. While Thamel noted some coaches who need to finish strong and are on the hot seat, like Dave Aranda at Baylor or Mike Locksley at Maryland, but the coach next to the firing line was an easy pick for Thamel-- Florida State's Mike Norvell.

Thamel's firing pick

I would think obviously Mike Norvell is squarely in the crosshairs. I think he's 2-12 in the ACC in his last 14 games. So that speaks for itself in that realm.
Pete Thamel

Norvell's FSU troubles

Norvell had seemed to be on an upward trend at Florida State, going 10-3 in 2022 and 13-1 in 2023. The previously undefeated Seminoles missed the four-team College Football Playoff and then got blasted by Georgia 63-3 in the Orange Bowl.

FSU followed that loss with a brutal 2-10 season in 2024. After a Week 1 upset of Alabama, Norvell and Florida State seemed to have turned over a new leaft. Instead, they're now 4-5 and just 1-5 in conference play. The Seminoles had climbed as high as No. 7 in the AP poll, but have against fallen to unranked status.

Norvell's decline in 2025 places Florida State in danger of a sixth losing season since 2018. Jimbo Fisher reached double-figure wins in six of his eight seasons before he left FSU in 2017. The Seminoles have struggled assert themselves in a wide-open ACC.

Buyout issues

If Florida State does indeed axe Norvell, they'll have to buy out a contract that is slated to run through 2031. The buyout after the 2025 season is approximately $53 million. That would be competitive with the buyout figures understood to exist for Brian Kelly and James Franklin in their respective departures from LSU and Penn State.

Norvell's resume

Norvell came to Florida State after going 38-15 at Memphis in his first head coaching job. Current Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield is being linked with the Arkansas job already this offseason. Norvell assisted at Arizona State, Pittsburgh, and Tulsa before ending up at FSU.