TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State fired head football coach Mike Norvell effective immediately, university President Richard McCullough announced Sunday afternoon. The move came roughly 12 hours after a home loss to Clemson, and it leaves the Seminoles at 3-5 on the season.

McCullough said the school had decided to change the leadership of its football program and thanked Norvell for his service. The school will immediately begin a national search for its next head coach.

Stockstill takes over

FSU Athletics Hall of Fame member Rick Stockstill was named interim head coach while the school conducts that search. Stockstill is a former FSU quarterback who has been the Seminoles’ director of offensive scouting the last two seasons. He quarterbacked the Seminoles under Bobby Bowden from 1977 to 1981 and has more than 40 years of collegiate coaching experience.

Before returning to Tallahassee, Stockstill spent 18 seasons as head coach at Middle Tennessee State, going 113-111. That included a Sun Belt co-championship in 2006 and a 2022 upset of a ranked Miami team. Interim Athletics Director Bruce Warwick said several internal candidates were qualified, but Stockstill emerged as the clear choice. He will guide the team through the final four games of the 2026 season.

Staff changes

Norvell was not the only coach let go. Defensive coordinator Tony White was fired alongside him, and linebackers coach Ernie Sims takes over defensive play-calling. Safeties coach Evan Cooper was also fired. Assistant defensive backs coach Greg Moss will coach the safeties.

A costly exit

Norvell leaves with a buyout of roughly $50 million, among the largest in college football history. He went 41-39 in six-plus seasons, and 10-22 since the start of the 2024 season. The Seminoles are scrambling to become bowl eligible after back-to-back losing seasons.

Pressure had been building from fans. A plane flew a banner over the weekend calling for his firing, and boosters reportedly offered financial backing for a change. The search is also complicated by a vacancy in the athletic director’s office. The school announced in September that athletic director Michael Alford was being fired.

Stockstill’s message to the team, “Don’t give up, stay loyal to Florida State,” set the tone for the final stretch.

Photos by Don Juan Moore/ @DjuanFotos