FSU football is in a tough spot. They gave Mike Norvell a contract extension in 2024, making him one of the highest-paid college football coaches nationally. It also made him one of the most expensive coaches to fire.
However, the way the FSU football program has spiraled after starting 3-0 has the FSU fanbase like they are delaying the inevitable. Mike Norvell hasn’t won an ACC game in over a year, and his team seems to be getting worse as the season progresses.
They have lost games as -6.5 and -10.5 betting favorites, and faced a 28-3 deficit early in the fourth quarter to the Miami Hurricanes.
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FSU constantly turns the ball over, lacks physicality on defense, and the costly penalties seem to mount each week.
Mike Norvell’s Buyout Cost
Mike Norvell’s buyout before this season was $61.8 million. It will be 53.3 million after this season. Some folks insinuate the buyout is too massive to pay, but it’s not like FSU would give Norvell all the money in a lump sum. FSU would pay the buyout in installments through the 2031 season.
It would be similar to the Willie Taggart situation, only about 30 million or so more. FSU could save about 8.5 million if they wait until the end of the 2025 season. However, it's not clear if they can wait that long.
FSU has games on the schedule over the next two weeks that were thought to be winnable games a few weeks ago, but nothing is automatic after three consecutive losses, especially after what we witnessed in the 2024 season.
We'll see what happens, but FSU firing Mike Norvell at some point between Sunday and the end of the season isn't far-fetched. They can find the money if they want to do it.