Mike Norvell isn’t gone yet, and according to Yahoo Sports reporter Ross Dellenger, Florida State’s administration may not have the appetite to pay $50 million to get rid of a football coach they seemingly still like. Still, after firing athletic director Michael Alford, most of the signs point to Norvell being out, potentially as soon as Saturday night or Sunday if the Seminoles lose at Alabama in Week 3.
If that’s the direction the proceedings in Tallahassee ultimately head, with Norvell out and a clean slate for the two most important jobs in the athletic department, then a familiar face could be worth considering, and it’s not Jimbo Fisher.
Manny Diaz last coached at Florida State in 1998-99 as a graduate assistant under Bobby Bowden after he graduated from FSU. He did not play for Bowden, but he’s an alum whom you would think would be interested in leaving Duke if the job opened in Tallahassee.
Now, Diaz’s failed tenure as the head coach of Miami could scare FSU fans, and more importantly, the program’s administration off that move, but the 52-year-old is doing a much better job in his second stint than he did in his first.
His 2025 ACC Title, despite losing five games and missing the College Football Playoff, is proof, but the more positive indicator may have come on Wednesday, as The Athletic released its report on college football budgets across the FBS. Diaz is doing more with less at Duke and could be the perfect coach to help pull the Seminoles back to the top of the ACC even before its spending gets there.
FSU is reportedly spending the fourth-most in the ACC on its 2026 roster
The Athletic compiled multiple estimates on every program’s roster spend for the 2026 season and ranked all 68 FBS programs by the average of those estimates, while also presenting the range of answers they received. Florida State had one of the largest ranges, from $23-30 million, which slots the Seminoles at No. 4 in the ACC and just above the conference average.
That average is affected by outliers in both directions, as Miami is the league’s only program spending at a national championship-contender level, with a roster costing between $44 and $50 million. Boston College is in the basement of the ACC and the FBS, spending between $8 and $13 million.
There’s a conversation to be had, certainly, about how spectacularly Norvell is underperforming relative to that roster spend. By no means is it where Florida State should be from a national perspective, but it’s No. 4 in the ACC, and it’s hard to picture the Seminoles finishing fourth in the conference standings.
Manny Diaz is far outperforming expectations at Duke with 2nd-cheapest roster in the ACC
Duke, meanwhile, has the second-cheapest roster in the conference at $12-15 million. That’s undoubtedly pulled down by the last-second loss of its two, presumably, most expensive players, Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate, who got top dollar from the Hurricanes. Alas, the Blue Devils are 2-0 after a 31-27 road win over Illinois ($19-23 million), behind star running back Nate Sheppard.
Even with Mensah and Barkate last season, it’s hard to imagine Duke having eclipsed $20 million, and while it wasn’t a perfect season, it did land the program a conference championship.
Winning in college football is all about providing surplus value in the NIL and revenue-sharing era. You want a coach who can outperform the investment in his roster, and Diaz has consistently done that. That goes hand-in-hand with finding bargains to put on that roster, which is why FSU pried general manager John Garrett away from Durham this offseason.
Maybe, if Norvell can’t save his job, the Seminoles should consider transporting that entire operation from Durham, infusing it with a few million more, and allowing them to continue outperforming as the program digs itself out from under Norvell’s massive buyout and gets on more stable footing under Alford’s replacement.
Should he be the No. 1 candidate? Probably not. But considering the financial limitations FSU may face in the hiring process and subsequent roster build, Diaz looks like a great option. Or at the very least, an undeniable upgrade over Norvell.
Add us as a preferred source on Google