9 options for Florida State's Next Head Coach After Mike Norvell Firing

To the surprise of very few, Florida State has parted ways with Mike Norvell and is currently in the market for a new football coach.

Norvell will be paid handsomely to leave after leading the program for seven seasons, highlighted by a 13-1 year in 2023. But with only 10 wins over the past two-plus seasons, the momentum to move on from Norvell was building. A loss to Clemson on Saturday sealed the decision, although we've been heading this direction for some while.

The Seminoles are in desperate need of a reset and new direction. And while recent results don't exactly scream excellence, the rich football history still makes this a desired job.

As for some candidates likely to be discussed, here they are.

Let's make something abundantly clear. We don't believe this is the direction Florida State will go, nor would we encourage the program to do this in any shape or form. But given Sanders' history with the school and the conversation that has long connected the coach and his former school, it's worth noting.

A few years ago, it would have made a lot of sense.

Sanders, of course, starred at Florida State as a player. When he led Colorado to a nine-win season in 2024, many started connecting the dots.

The problem? The Buffaloes are 6-14 since, and a program that was full of life when he arrived has seemingly lost most of his juice.

The allure of Sanders is obvious. In the era of NIL and recruiting, he still has a big presence, and the connection to his former school would allow his personality to flourish.

Still, Colorado's recent performance likely dooms this possibility. His teams just haven't won enough, and Florida State can't take that chance.

Now, this would make a ton of sense. In fact, while it wouldn't be the sexiest hire possible, it could wind up being the most successful.

Some of you are probably wondering one simple question.

He's currently the head coach of Wake Forest, and he's in his second year with the school after coaching Washington State for four seasons. In his two years with the Demon Deacons, Dickert is 15-5.

In 2026, Wake Forest is 7-1 and currently No. 14 in the latest AP Poll. Again, this is Wake Forest. Since 2006, this program has won 10 or more games just once. Dickert could very well reach that figure with a strong close.

What Dickert has done exceptionally well is recruit while also finding talent in the transfer portal. Despite not operating with an enormous NIL budget, Wake Forest, which currently owns the nation's No. 9 ranked scoring offense and No. 22 ranked scoring defense, has accomplished plenty.

Again, there will be bigger names. But Dickert is a proven winner, has familiarity with the conference and could immediately make this program better.

It didn't work in Miami, and perhaps that would give some hesitation. What Diaz has done since taking over the Hurricanes, however, has been awfully impressive.

When he was hired by James Franklin to coach Penn State's defense in 2021, the Nittany Lions excelled. Diaz parlayed his success coaching defense in Happy Valley into another head coaching gig.

After winning nine games with Duke in 2024 and 2025, which included an ACC Championship last year, Diaz has coached Duke to a 5-2 mark in 2026, although games at Miami and Wake Forest are still to come.

Still, he's done an excellent job when given an opportunity, and he also attended Florida State as a student and got his start in coaching at FSU as a graduate assistant under Bobby Bowden.

He checks a lot of boxes, for certain. While the fan base might not love this one if it were ultimately the decision the school went with, Florida State could do a lot worse.

It's a matter of time for Eck, who has proven to be both a great coach and an enormous personality.

He won big at Idaho, and now he's winning big at New Mexico. In his first year with the program, Eck's team won nine games in 2025. This year, New Mexico is 7-1, with the lone loss coming against Oklahoma in a close game. As a head coach, he's 42-18.

This week, New Mexico was ranked in the Top 25 of the AP Poll for the first time with a potential trip to the CFB Playoff in sight. Oh, and the Lobos currently have the No. 1 scoring defense in the country. Not too shabby.

Away from the field, Eck is a press conference favorite and a quote machine. While he might not be a big name yet, that time is coming. And Eck's personality coupled with Florida State's resources could make for a perfect marriage.

Again, Eck will get his shot at a Power Four school. Whether it's Florida State or somewhere else, the team that ultimately lands him will be thrilled that they did.

He's never been a head coach before, and that could derail the possibility and fit altogether. With that said, Faulkner is widely recognized as one of the brightest offensive minds in all of college football, and he's likely to be a head coach sooner than later.

He helped Georgia win two national championships, albeit in a smaller role. At Georgia Tech, his first stop as an OC, his reputation took off.

Now with Florida, Faulkner still has plenty of fans despite an up-and-down Gators season. Questions and injuries at quarterback certainly haven't helped; neither has a brutal SEC schedule.

Still, if Florida State is comfortable hiring a coach with new prior experience, this would be the one. Faulkner would immediately attract top quarterbacks given his offensive background, which is something this program could desperately use.

Of course, Florida State should pursue Chesney. It absolutely has to. The question isn't whether the Seminoles would want him. It's whether he would consider leaving a place he seems to genuinely enjoy for a program that has been unstable in recent years.

Then again, that was once UCLA. Then Chesney arrived, and the Bruins are now 8-0 with the possibility of a College Football Playoff berth suddenly very real.

Wherever Chesney has gone, he's won. Before UCLA, Chesney led James Madison to the CFB Playoff. Before that, he lifted Holy Cross to back-to-back 10-win seasons.

He's still just 49-years-old, and he's likely to be the most discussed coach of this cycle. Depending on what jobs ultimately open up, Chesney will have to decide to stay at UCLA, where he is likely to get a new contract and an enormous raise, or leave for another place.

Florida State has to try. In fact, it should do everything it can, which includes offering an enormous sum of money for him, his coaching staff and an NIL budget, to make it possible.

With a big buyout for Norvell on deck, however, the whole fit feels unlikely. That said, FSU would be foolish not to swing big. He's that good.

Weird? Absolutely. Impossible? Maybe not. Florida State won a national title under Fisher, who has been out of work for a few years after being fired by Texas A&M. If financial considerations are apart of this process, FSU could probably hire Fisher for a lot less than most of the other coaches on this list. We don't see it happening, but you never know.

He loves Arizona State, although he did flirt with the Michigan job this past offseason. it hasn't exactly gone great with the Sun Devils this fall, although that shouldn't deter any interest Florida State might have. It could, however, prompt Dillingham to look at his current gig and reconsider leaving a place he clearly cares greatly about.

Given how things ended at LSU, it's hard to know how Florida State would feel about the possibility. It's even harder to know how Florida State fans would take this one also. Still, Kelly has won big, coached at major programs and won a lot of football games. He also seems eager to get back on the sideline, which makes this an interesting connection.