It wasn't exactly the worst-kept secret, but ESPN's Mark Schlabach confirms that FSU Athletic Director Michael Alford was very interested in Lane Kiffin.
In his long-form story on Kiffin's trek to LSU, Schlabach says that his sources confirmed that Alford had been in communication with representatives for Kiffin. Once it was clear that Kiffin wasn't interested in coaching at FSU, Alford made the decision to retain Mike Norvell.
What did it look like inside the final days of Lane Kiffin’s time at Ole Miss?
— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2025
Mark Schlabach on how LSU's long pursuit of Kiffin finally came to an end 👀 https://t.co/3AhbYQPL7C
Kiffin and Alford have some history
Schlabach pointed out that Kiffin and Alford had a relationship during the time they crossed paths at USC in the early 2000s. Alford was an Associate AD there while Kiffin was an assistant coach under Pete Carroll.
"Hiring Kiffin, the hottest coach on the market, might have allowed Alford to justify spending $72 million to dismiss Norvell and his staff. The Seminoles' recruitment of Kiffin continued into the middle of November, according to the sources."Mark Schlabach
These moves explain why FSU didn't immediately decide to fire Norvell after the Stanford loss and instead put out a mostly-BS report about evaluating the program over the following weeks. The administration had one coach in mind that could justify spending over $70 million in buyout money for Norvell and his assistants in addition to the huge sum it would've taken to sign Kiffin. Once that coach wasn't available, they decided to stick with the current head coach and promised changes in everything around him.
Things could get awkward moving forward
Norvell has struggled at FSU over the past two seasons and is being given a lifeline that most can argue he doesn't deserve, but he's here, and presumably he'll be here for at least another year, if not longer. How will his working relationship be with Alford now, knowing that the athletic director was actively looking to replace him?
I would gather to say it won't be any better or worse than it was before. Alford didn't hire Norvell, but he did give him a ridiculous contract extension that left FSU extremely unprotected financially in case things went downhill. He has to take responsibility for that.
It's assumed that Alford will have his hands all over the promised changes, and it's likely that a new GM or Director of Operations, or whatever the title of the new guy is, will answer to Alford and not Norvell. These moves could lead to changes that Norvell doesn't necessarily agree with but that Alford believes are in the best interest of the program.
Buckle your seat beats Seminole fans, this ride might be bumpy for a while.