Mike Norvell to return as Florida State football coach in 2026

Despite losing 17 of his last 24 games as Florida State’s head football coach, Mike Norvell is returning to lead the program in 2026, a university source confirmed with Warchant early Sunday afternoon.

The news was first reported by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports and was later confirmed in a release from the university.

Here is the text of that release:

Florida State University today announced that Mike Norvell is being retained as head football coach. With support from FSU leadership, Norvell has pledged to institute fundamental changes in specific areas to improve performance to meet FSU’s championship standard.

“FSU Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins, Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford, and I are in complete agreement that changes are needed for our program to improve,” said Dr. Richard McCullough, FSU President. “Coach Norvell embraces our support in that process and agrees that success must be achieved. He continues to demonstrate an unwavering belief in this program’s future, and so do we. This decision reflects a unified commitment to competing in the rapidly evolving landscape of college football, while maintaining continuity within the program.”

“This program has been built on belief, sacrifice, and putting the team first,” Norvell said. “That set of values has always guided my actions, and those of our players. The driving motivation behind this is to make certain that we are doing everything properly to obtain and retain elite players, add critical pieces, and sustain long-term success. I love Florida State, and I am fully committed to this program, and our shared goals.”

“In addition to addressing the reality that on-field results have been far from acceptable to the FSU standard, we also realize our responsibilities as stewards of program revenues and how to best allocate those dollars to compete at an elite level – something we will not compromise,” said Collins. “Throughout the assessment, one goal will remain beyond all others – achieving sustained championship-level success. We will address performance deficiencies in the program. These deficiencies may include structural changes to the very large and complex program FSU football has become, and these areas are where we will focus and invest.”

“Our responsibility is to do what gives Florida State the strongest competitive position – not just today, but for years to come,” said Alford. “Florida State has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in its football program over the past few years with high expectations. Chairman Collins, President McCullough and I are aligned in partnering with Coach and improving our ability to compete for championships. Our mission is unwavering in putting Florida State football at the forefront of college athletics.”

Norvell’s job status has been in question for over a month, and the heat only intensified following Florida State’s 21-11 loss to N.C. State on Friday night.

But after numerous conversations among top officials on Saturday and Sunday, the university has decided to retain Norvell into the 2026 season.

According to Dellenger’s report, Norvell has, “pledged to make changes in areas of recruiting and player evaluation to enhance FSU’s roster.”

There was speculation that Norvell would be pushed out after Florida State lost at Stanford in mid-October, but A.D. Michael Alford and the administration said they wanted to see the season play out before making any decisions about the future. They instead decided to retain him with one game to go.

After being hired from Memphis following the 2019 season, Norvell had more downs than ups in his six seasons at the helm. He had three losing seasons (2020, 2021 and 2024) and is under .500 (at 5-6, 2-6 in the ACC) this season heading into the regular-season finale at Florida.

He also had four losing streaks of at least four games during his five-plus seasons at the helm. The last four-game losing streak before Norvell was in 1975.

There were some good times, too. He authored a 19-game winning streak, and his 2023 team went 13-0 and won the ACC Championship.

But since that night in Charlotte, or since the following afternoon when the Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff despite being undefeated, Norvell’s program has been one of the worst in the country.

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