Virginia Tech has become the model for the post-Norvell future after securing the 1 thing FSU needs most

Florida State opted not to hop on the coaching carousel this offseason, despite missing a bowl game for a second-straight year under Mike Norvell. A $60+ million buyout was undeniably the main reason Norvell still has his job. However, a crowded coaching market was more motivation for FSU to ride out the Norvell era for another season before, likely, pulling the trigger on a major move. 

Virginia Tech didn’t wait around for more underwhelming results from Brent Pry. The Hokies moved quickly to hire James Franklin after Penn State moved on midseason. Since making that decision, a former proud program that had sunk to the bottom of the ACC (sound familiar?) has suddenly become the model for Florida State to follow when Norvell’s tenure eventually, and seemingly inevitably, comes to an end. 

The Franklin hiring came with a major financial investment from the University. Potentially more importantly, though, the hiring lit up a donor base starved for success. 

In the NIL and revenue-sharing era, money is more important than ever as a significant number of programs are building $40 or even $50 million rosters. Now, at Virginia Tech, Franklin has the financial resources to compete at the top of the ACC after announcing a $75 million commitment on Thursday. 

Virginia Tech’s fundraising efforts with James Franklin in place is how you win in the NIL era

Florida State made a bad bet on the future of the NIL era. Even as Norvell embraced the Transfer Portal and to great success in 2023, FSU was late to adapt to the changing landscape and keep pace with the exponential growth of roster spending in the sport. It’s possible to turn that around while keeping the same coach in place, but not a coach who has gone 7-17 over the past two seasons. 

Norvell has lost the donor base, and there really isn’t any way to win it back because, without the money needed to assemble a competitive roster, the losing will continue. So, the program is essentially biding its time to knock off a few extra million dollars of his buyout before making the not-so-difficult decision to part ways. 

Once that happens, following something close to the Virginia Tech model is the best way forward. Make a hire that excites the fanbase and the deep-pocketed boosters alike, and pledge to invest more in the program, so donors know to follow suit. That’s not the easiest thing to do with a likely $50+ million buyout to pay if Norvell is fired this season, though. 

Now that you can pay the players directly, having the big-money coach to attract talent is less important than ever. That’s even true for a lackluster recruiter like Norvell. He put together back-to-back top-20 classes and hasn’t even had the financial resources that Miami and Florida boast in the state. Even marginal coaching advantages on gameday pale in comparison to the talent boost that spending big on your roster can provide. 

From that perspective, it would make the most sense for FSU and its donor base to rally around Norvell, avoid paying the buyout, and up the talent level on his roster. Yes, it takes time to make up the ground FSU lost by being late to the NIL party, but it could get much closer than it is now as Norvell flails in the 2027 recruiting cycle. 

However, fundraising is fickle. In almost every case, it’s easier to raise the money to pay Norvell’s buyout, pay the next coach, and still invest in his new roster than it is to raise what would be much less money to improve Norvell’s team right now. That’s because hope is what a program is selling. Right now, Blacksburg has it in droves, and Tallahassee is fresh out.

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