Florida State fires Mike Norvell, eats roughly $50 million buyout after Clemson loss

Florida State fired Mike Norvell on Sunday, about 12 hours after a 36-24 home loss to Clemson dropped the Seminoles to 3-5. Keeping him had become harder to defend than paying him to leave. According to the Associated Press, via FOX Sports, the school takes on a buyout of roughly $50 million, one of the largest in college football history.

School president Richard McCullough announced the decision himself, because Florida State has had no athletic director since Michael Alford was fired in September, Yahoo Sports reported. "We have made the decision to change the leadership of our football program," McCullough said in the school's statement. Rick Stockstill, a Florida State alum in his third season on the staff, takes over as interim coach. He went 113-111 in 18 seasons as head coach at Middle Tennessee.

The cost goes well beyond Norvell's contract. On3 put the buyout at about $51 million, the third-largest in the sport's history. Its sources estimated that firing Norvell and his staff and hiring a replacement will cost Florida State about $100 million in total. The school is paying that much because of how fast the program fell. Norvell won 19 straight games from midway through 2022 through the 2023 ACC title and was rewarded with an extension. Since the start of 2024, the Seminoles are 10-22, and On3 had them at 4-17 in ACC play over the last three seasons. Norvell survived a 5-7 finish in 2025, a reprieve Yahoo attributed largely to an even larger buyout at the time. He leaves with a 41-39 record. He is the fifth FBS coach fired during this season and the second in the ACC, after NC State's Dave Doeren.

What it means at Boston College

Stockstill's first game is Saturday, November 7, at Boston College on ACC Network. The Seminoles have lost three straight. They were beaten 43-35 at No. 3 Miami and 44-20 at Louisville before Clemson came to Tallahassee. The defense has allowed 41 points per game across those three losses, and the only wins this season came against New Mexico State, Central Arkansas and Virginia. To reach six wins and bowl eligibility, Florida State has to win three of its last four games, after missing bowls in each of the previous two seasons.

The market still rates the roster well above its record. Florida State is favored by 6.5 points at Boston College. Novig prices the Seminoles at -233 on the moneyline and -111 on the spread. BetMGM has the best spread price at -110, and BetRivers offers Boston College at +7. Novig has Boston College at +213 to win outright, and BetRivers is best at +220. The total sits at 51.5 on Novig and goes as high as 52.5 at Hard Rock Bet. The 12 venues differ by a point at most on the spread and total, and sportsbook hold on the moneyline runs from 3.9% to 5.8%. The full board is on the game page.

Clemson moves to 5-3 with the win that ended Norvell's tenure. It visits Syracuse the same day and is a narrow favorite, -113 on Novig, with a line of 1.5 points. More on both programs is on the Florida State and Clemson team pages.