After weeks of speculation, it finally happened.

Following a 36-24 loss to Clemson, Florida State parted ways with Mike Norvell. The firing closes the book on his tenure in Tallahassee, which included a 13-1 finish in 2023 that had the Seminoles on the cusp of the College Football Playoff, but the team was left out by the Selection Committee following a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis.

Since that season, Florida State limped to a pair of losing seasons, and the writing was on the wall for Norvell.

Here are nine candidates to replace him, ranked by likelihood.

On the one hand, you can see the appeal here. This reads like something straight out of a Hollywood script: The former player returns to campus to take over as head coach. Deion Sanders was a three-sport star at Florida State, most known for what he did in the fall on the football field but he stood out on the diamond as well as on the track. In May of 1987, for example, Sanders played in two conference tournament baseball games while running a leg of the 4 x 100 relay, all on the same day.

But some of the shine is off his coaching resume, as Colorado has struggled the past season-plus. After leading the Buffaloes to a 9-4 record in 2024, when he coached Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter Jr., Colorado finished 3-9 in 2025, and is on pace for another losing season this year.

It would make for a good story, albeit an unlikely one.

And now we have another unlikely return to Tallahassee.

Jimbo Fisher has made no secret of his desire to get back into coaching, and he did deliver a title during his previous stint at Florida State. He also led the Seminoles to five consecutive ten-win seasons and three conference titles during his time on campus.

But his departure from Tallahassee might have left some bitter feelings at Florida State, and his time at Texas A&M could also work against him.

If FSU wants to turn to an up-and-coming head coach, they could stay in-state and hire Zach Kittley from Florida Atlantic.

Kittley has yet to finish his second season as a head coach (he took over at FAU for the 2025 season) but after leading the Owls to a 4-8 record a year ago, he has the school on a path to a winning record — and a bowl bid — here in 2026. And his background as an offensive coach and quarterback developer would work in his favor. Kittley coached Bailey Zappe both at Houston Baptist (where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach) and later at Western Kentucky, helping Zappe set several NCAA records.

It would be a huge leap, but a bold one, for a program looking for an identity on the offensive side of the ball.

Kenny Dillingham is in a pretty good position out at Arizona State, and his ties to Norvell might be enough to dissuade him for a job at Florida State.

But Dillingham also spent some time at FSU (under Norvell) and knows the environment, and what it takes to be successful at Florida State. His experience at schools like Auburn and Oregon works in his favor, as does Arizona State’s run to the College Football Playoff in 2024.

Rhett Lashlee is in a tremendous spot at SMU, backed by trustees with resources at his disposal.

Would he walk away from that and jump into the frying pan in Tallahassee?

Under his guidance, the Mustangs have gone 44-17, including a 30-6 record in conference play. SMU has reached a bowl game in every year of his tenure, and at 6-1 the Mustangs are likely headed to another bowl game this year, if not a potential second Playoff berth under his leadership. He is in a very good spot right now, and it might be tough to see him leave what is a strong ACC program for a more turbulent environment in the conference.

But from FSU’s perspective, hiring him away from a conference rival makes a great deal of sense.

Historically, Florida State has favored coaches with an offensive background. Larry Jones, the former South Carolina defensive coordinator, was the last head coaching hire with a pure defensive background at Florida State.

FSU hired him in 1971.

Glenn Schumann could change that. His name has been on the short list of candidates the past few hiring cycles, and Kirby Smart advocated for him to get the UNC job back in 2024, ahead of the eventual Bill Belichick hiring. But Schumann’s time under Smart and Nick Saban works in his favor, and one has to believe this is the year he jumps to the head coaching ranks.

Since taking over in Columbia, Eliah Drinkwitz has turned the Tigers into one of the SEC’s more intriguing teams. Missouri has reached a bowl game in every year of his tenure, and after winning 11 games in 2023 and ten games in 2024, the Tigers are on pace to have double-digit wins again this year.

But one cannot help but wonder if Drinkwitz has hit the ceiling of what is possible in the SEC, in a conference dominated by big schools such as LSU, Alabama, and more. If he wants to jump at a chance to be a bigger fish in the pond, FSU presents a tremendous opportunity.

When the Norvell news broke, Jake Dickert’s name was one of the first on everyone’s mind.

Wake Forest finished with a 9-4 record a year ago, and the Demon Deacons are currently 7-1 and ranked inside the top 15 in the nation. And he has won everywhere he has gone, leaving Washington State with a 23-20 record, and he is currently 16-5 during his two years at Wake Forest.

He also works well with his current general manager, Rob Schlaeger, and their process of identifying talent and recruiting players to campus would work well in the ACC.

On paper, he might be the best option for Florida State, were it not for another former Seminole.

Is FSU interested in a different former Seminole coach, who just led a conference rival to the ACC title?

Enter Manny Diaz.

Diaz attended Florida State, graduating with a communications degree in 1995, and broke through in the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant under Bobby Bowden. That put him on the path to coaching that included stops at NC State, Texas, Mississippi State, Miami, and Penn State, with his first head coaching job coming with the Hurricanes.

But he has done his best work at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to a pair of nine-win seasons in 2024 and 2025, and a year ago Duke was a surprise ACC Championship Game winner. He knows Florida, he knows the conference, and he could be the perfect candidate to turn things around in Tallahassee.