Mike Norvell will be on the hot seat this season and no one's surprised about that. The chances of Norvell making it past this season are probably 50-50 at best. If things don't work out and the FSU job is open, it should be the most coveted job on the market.
If AD Michael Alford is around to make this decision, he will probably want to bring in a big name to excite the fanbase, but there are some fascinating coordinators that could also be a fit for Tallahassee...in case Norvell doesn't survive, of course.
Here are five coordinators that FSU fans should keep an eye on in 2026:
Charlie Weis Jr. (LSU offensive coordinator)
Someone's going to give Weis Jr. a big job in 2027 and FSU seems like as good a bet as any. He's 32 and has been on a fast track to coaching greatness since he was holding up personnel cards for his dad when Charlie Sr. was the head coach at Notre Dame. If LSU is as good as expected this season, there will likely be a lot of suitors for Weis and FSU would want to be at the top of that list.
Bryant Haines/Mike Shanahan (Indiana defensive & offensive coordinators)
Curt Cignetti made sure that Indiana gave his coordinators a well-deserved raise to return for the 2026 season, but keeping them much longer seems unlikely. Unlike Weis Jr., who was groomed for coaching at big programs through association with his father, the two top Hoosiers assistants have done it the hard way, rising up from the lower divisions. They would likely bring more of a lunch-pail attitude to FSU.Â
Glenn Schumann (Georgia defensive coordinator)
Schumann's rep has taken a little bit of a hit recently, but he's still just 35 years old and has worked his entire career under either Nick Saban or Kirby Smart. The fact that Schumann was Smart's first hire at Georgia speaks volumes. He was a student assistant at Alabama and later the director of football operations, so he understands many elements of how to make the machine go and will put a high emphasis on recruiting.Â
Buster Faulkner (Florida offensive coordinator)
Yeah....I know, but hear me out on this one. Faulkner gives me some Jimbo Fisher vibes in a good way. He played college ball right up the road from Tallahassee at Valdosta State, so he knows the lay of the land and some of the areas where FSU has had success recruiting over many years. For him to be a viable candidate, the Gators will have to win in 2026 and that would be a tough pill to swallow, but if it leads to the right coach coming to Tallahassee...