Mike Norvell clarifying Tom Herman’s Florida State role will only fuel interim head coach theories

On Monday, Florida State surprisingly hired former Texas head coach Tom Herman to its staff. The nature of the unexpected addition this late in the offseason and the seemingly nebulous role, which was reported to be an “assistant to Mike Norvell,” made it easy to connect the dots that Herman may be coming in to replace Norvell midseason as the interim head coach. 

Norvell enters the year on a scorching hot seat after going 7-17 over the last two years. However, until bringing in Herman, Florida State did not have a clear answer as to who its interim head coach would be in the event Norvell was fired midseason, with no former FBS head coaches on the staff. 

On Wednesday, at ACC Media Days, Norvell clarified Herman’s role, stating that he will be “assistant to the head coach” in Tallahassee, and that’s not going to slow down any of the ‘interim-in-waiting’ theories.  

Tom Herman will be assistant to the head coach for Florida State

So basically, Herman, who last coached in college football in 2024 when he was fired in his second season at FAU after starting the year 2-8, is being brought to Tallahassee to follow Norvell around, learn all the ins and outs of the program, develop relationships with the staff, and I’m not supposed to think he’s a fail-safe? 

That’s not to say Herman will be Norvell’s full-time successor. He’s done nothing to earn another shot as a college football head coach after his disastrous stint at FAU. But he’s the perfect interim option that the Seminoles simply didn’t have going into the year. 

Herman’s hire is far from a guarantee that Norvell is gone this year. If the Seminoles somehow bounce back and start to show legitimate improvement, the administrators in Tallahassee would probably rather not bite the $50 million bullet that is Norvell’s buyout, so he could stay. However, the odds of that turnaround happening with Herman as the Dwight Schrute, 'assistant to the regional manager,' to Michael Scott Norvell aren’t great. 

Norvell spoke more about his relationship with Herman, mentioning the ties to Florida State offensive line coach Herb Hand, who worked for Herman at Texas, and recalling Herman’s trip to Tallahassee this spring when discussions began about him joining the staff. The arrangement didn’t come together until months later, though. 

“Came back in the summer, really sat down and talked about role,” Norvell explained before taking the main podium in Charlotte. “I think he can come in and provide a unique perspective, different experiences. I was glad that it was able to work out to have him here for this year, and what he’s going to be able to provide for the staff.” 

From that quote, it sounds like a move catalysed by Norvell, which would, in effect, debunk the ‘interim-in-waiting’ theory. However, for one, Norvell wasn’t going to say if this hire wasn’t his decision. Secondly, even if Herman wasn’t brought in for the explicit purpose of becoming the interim head coach, he’d still be the best pick for the job with eight years of FBS head coaching experience.

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