Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford has faced criticism for his handling of the Mike Norvell situation. His statement supporting Norvell through season’s end before conducting a comprehensive assessment frustrated many FSU fans.
They believed Mike Norvell should have been fired after the loss to Stanford, and we’re in agreement with that stance.
However, we also understand that it’s not wise to make a decision that will ultimately cost over 100 million dollars without having a plan. Michael Alford has a track record of making solid decisions since getting to FSU. He helped increase amount of alumni donating to Seminole Boosters a great deal before becoming the Athletic Director.
He fired Mike Martin Jr and brought Link Jarrett back home to resurrect FSU baseball. He kept Lonni Alameda from leaving FSU for Texas A&M. He hired Brian Pensky to replace Mark Krikorian when the latter tried to bully FSU in contract negotiations.
Alford helped spearhead the FSU lawsuit against the ACC, which worked out to favor FSU in a big way. He has also helped spearhead Doak Campbell Stadium renovations and the Football-Only Facility and other program upgrades for other sports.
The way he’s handling the Mike Norvell situation and some potential naivety towards NIL seem to be the only negatives that come to mind. Many will criticize the decision to extend Mike Norvell after the 2023 season, but hindsight is 20/20. If FSU had let Norvell get poached by another team, there would have been major criticisms.
The current decision to not fire Norvell isn’t over, and we still believe Mike Norvell will not be the coach at FSU in 2026. Someone fairly in-tune to LSU athletics has listed Michael Alford as a top candidate to replace their outgoing AD, Scott Woodard.
Initial list for next LSU AD:
— Matt Moscona (@MattMoscona) October 31, 2025
(Alphabetical)
Michael Alford - Florida State
Jay Artigues - Southeastern
Verge Ausberry - LSU
Josh Brooks - Georgia
Heath Schroyer - McNeese
Ties to Louisiana will be a key component of this hire.@1045espn @LASportsDotNet
We still believe Michael Alford is one of the better ADs in the country. FSU football isn’t losing because they don’t have the talent to win. If FSU lost Alford to another place, it could be a good thing if the new hire understands the importance of FSU football to FSU, the community, and other sports programs.
If not, there are ways it could negatively impact FSU. Just look at the damage Stan Wilcox did in a short amount of time.