Mike Norvell entered the 2026 season on the hottest seat in college football, and it certainly hasn't gotten any cooler. The temperature of Norvell's seat only got warmer on Friday night as Florida State blew an early 14-0 lead in a 44-20 loss to Louisville. The Seminoles were knocking on the door of a 21-0 advantage when they failed to convert on fourth-and-goal.
On the very next play from scrimmage, Cardinals' running back Isaac Brown took a handoff 97 yards to the house, and Florida State never had control of the game again. Brown would later add a 68-yard rushing score as he finished the night with 235 yards on the ground. Isaac Brown goes 97 yards to the 🏠Louisville responds quick to Florida State 🔥 pic.twitter.com/TF8bsGXcCT Blowing a 14-point lead only to lose by 14-plus points hasn't been a common occurrence for the Seminoles throughout their history, but it's become a habit this season.
Coming into the year, that hadn't happened once in 385 games over the last 30 years. It's now happened twice in the last four weeks, with Florida State also blowing a 21-6 lead on the road against Alabama. Despite more troubling results, Florida State has yet to make a coaching change.
Naturally, that leads one to wonder whether the school will make a move at all this season, and even if it does, when? The reality is that Norvell has a couple of factors working in his favor, including his massive buyout and an athletic department in flux. If Florida State is going to fire Norvell, it'll have to pay him a fortune in order to do so.
Norvell's buyout currently sits at $46.7 million, which is a lot of money for any program, but especially for one that hasn't kept up with the times as far as NIL Is concerned. According to our own Chris Hummer and John Talty, the Seminoles are paying just north of $20 million for their 2026 roster, which puts them in the middle of the pack in the ACC and well behind serious championship contenders around the country. Would Florida State be willing to shell out double what it's currently paying for the football roster just to fire Norvell?
That $46.7 million price tag doesn't even factor in buyouts for assistants or the cost of hiring another coach and bringing in his staff. Because of that financial bind, there is a sense that Norvell could keep his job with a decent finish. As much as Friday night's loss to Louisville hurt, last week's thrashing of Virginia helped Norvell's job security.
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