Mike Norvell buyout: How much would it cost Florida State to fire football coach?

Mike Norvell buyout: How much would it cost Florida State to fire football coach?

Key points

• Florida State coach Mike Norvell is on the hot seat after a 2-10 season in 2024 and a poor start to 2026.
• After documented interest from Alabama after Saban's retirement in January 2024, Norvell signed a contract extension with Florida State that runs through the 2031 season.
• Norvell makes $215, 000 in base salary every year of the accord, with his supplemental income rising by $150, 000 annually.
• If Florida State fires Norvell on December 1, 2026, the university would owe him a $46.7 million buyout.
• Norvell signed a contract extension through the 2031 season after being linked to the Alabama job in 2024.

Mike Norvell buyout: How much would it cost Florida State to fire football coach? Craig Meyer USA TODAY NETWORK. FSU football vs SMU: Mike Norvell notes game has "championship caliber".

Florida State football coach Mike Norvell excited by the "championship caliber" game vs SMU at home on Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2026.

Fewer than three years ago, Mike Norvell was viewed as one of the rising stars in college football coaching, someone who could support define the sport in the years and decades to come.

In 2023, he led Florida State to an undefeated regular season, capping off a two-year run in which the Seminoles went 23-4 and created their long-awaited return to the sport's upper tier. After Nick Saban retired at Alabama after the 2023 season, Norvell was one of the main candidates connected to the vacancy. Quite a bit has changed since then.

What once appeared to be an ascendant Florida State program has plummeted. The 2024 season was an abject disaster, with a team picked 10th in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll stumbling to a 2-10 record. When the Seminoles lost seven of their final nine games to again miss out on bowl eligibility, things only improved so much in 2025.

Meanwhile, the unforeseen fall has put Norvell squarely on one of the hottest seats in the sport, one he's only probable to escape with an unexpectedly robust season. Florida State hasn't exactly followed through on that two games into the season, with an underwhelming win against lowly New Mexico State followed by a 27-24 loss at home against No. 20 SMU, where boos could routinely be heard from Doak Campbell Stadium as the Seminoles lost despite forcing four turnovers. Things will only obtain more challenging, too, with games against No. 7 Miami, No. 11 Alabama, Louisville and Virginia over the next seven weeks.

If the Seminoles aren't able to score some unexpected wins during that stretch, what would it take for Florida State to obtain rid of Norvell? Here's what you need to know.

If Florida State opts to part ways with Norvell over the next three months, it will cost them quite a bit. And that might be putting it mildly.

If Norvell is fired on Dec. 1, 2026, he would be owed $46.7 million, according to the terms of his contract. It was obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

It would be the third-largest payout in college football history, behind only Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and Brian Kelly at LSU. Penn State owed James Franklin $49 million when it fired him last October, but after Franklin agreed to a accord with Virginia Tech only one month afterwards, that figure dropped to $9 million.

REQUIRED READING: Michigan controversy goes beyond clock. Let's talk regarding Bryce Underwood.

Under the terms of the accord, Norvell sees his total pay rise by $150, 000 every year. Here's what he's set to create on each year remaining on his contract.

After Monday's loss to SMU, Norvell is 39-35 two games into his seventh season at Florida State. Here's a year-by-year look at how his teams have fared.

Norvell previously went 38-15 in four seasons as the head coach at Memphis. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, mike Norvell buyout: How much would it cost Florida State to fire is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.