Booger McFarland reacts to Virginia Tech hiring James Franklin, forecasts FSU ramifications

Booger McFarland believes the recent hiring of James Franklin at Virginia Tech could cause big news elsewhere in the ACC. The ESPN analyst took to social media Monday to declare that he is predicting Mike Norvell to return to Florida State for the 2026 season.

Despite being among the names on the hot seat all season, Norvell still has his job at this point in the season as the Seminoles sit at 5-5 (2-5 ACC). There’s only two more games remaining on FSU’s schedule, but even when the season comes to an end, McFarland thinks Norvell is safe.

“Domino 1 has fallen,” he wrote on X. “Means most likely Mike Norvell is back next season at Florida St.”

Norvell is currently in his sixth season in Tallahassee, having compiled a 37-32 record during that span. He also won the ACC Championship in 2023 after finishing with an undefeated record in the regular season.

Since then, however, Florida State has gone 7-15 over the next two seasons. The Seminoles could at least still reach a bowl game this season for the third time in Norvell’s tenure if they win one of their remaining two games.

Florida State got off to a 3-0 start this season and rose as high as No. 7 in the AP Poll after defeating Alabama in the opening week. They would then go on to lose four straight games after that hot start, falling out of the top 25 entirely. However, they have picked things up recently to win two of their past three games.

That, along with the hiring of James Franklin, which takes away a potential replacement candidate, makes Booger McFarland think Norvell may have bought himself another season. That could be met with mixed reviews among Seminoles fans.

Of course, this is all speculation and nothing is set in stone. It’s entirely possible that if Florida State were to lose both of its remaining games and miss out on bowl eligibility, the school could still decide to let go of Norvell.

On3’s Pete Nakos reported prior to the Seminoles’ win against Virginia Tech on Saturday that conversations regarding Norvell’s future had ramped up at Florida State. We’ll have to wait and see whether that is still the case. For now, Norvell remains in charge and ready to lead FSU into a game against NC State on Friday.