It certainly can't be classified as surprising, but after a 3-5 start to 2026, Florida State has reportedly parted ways with Mike Norvell. Despite a buyout reported in the range of $46 to $50 million, enough was enough, and a 10-22 mark since the impressive 2023 season sealed the deal. But with Norvell out, who will be in at FSU? Here are some possibilities that might make sense-- and what they might mean for the cycle of jobs within other impacted programs.

Jimbo Fisher

The coach who last led Florida State to a title has to be part of this picture. Fisher was 83-23 at FSU before departing for Texas A&M, where he was one of the highest-priced buyouts of all time after a 45-25 mark. Fisher hasn't coached since late 2023, but is just 61 years old, and has previously proven that he can win in Tallahassee. He may be reluctant, but he also may be waiting for an offer he can't refuse. Fisher hasn't been actively tied anywhere else and could hit the ground running.

Deion Sanders

Two years ago, Deion would have checked all the boxes. An FSU alum, a coach understood to be on the rise and holding his own in the NIL wars... but the last season and a half hasn't been kind. He's 5-14 since he stopped having the best player in college football on his offense and defense. Sanders had a health scare and hasn't exactly endeared himself on the NIL circuit, where his massive roster turnovers seem to be something of a red flag. Colorado might not be depressed to see the end of the Sanders era, and given Deion's pro-heavy staff, one of his assistants might well be a solid successor in Boulder.

Mark Stoops

An outstanding defensive coordinator at Florida State, Stoops left that job for his first head coaching role at Kentucky. His 72-80 record may not sparkle, but with substandard talent, he placed Kentucky in eight straight bowl games and won 10 games in a season for the first time there since 1977. Since being cut loose by UK at the end of 2025, he's been a special assistant at Texas. Stoops might come cheaper than some of the other candidates and has his link to FSU's stronger days. His loss at Texas wouldn't be imminently noticeable.

Manny Diaz

A Florida State alum who started his coaching career with the Seminoles, Diaz has done plenty without a ton to work with as a head coach. His 21-15 mark at Miami wasn't overwhelming, but a great many struggled in Coral Gables before the program's current resurrection. He's 23-11 at Duke, so he's certainly familiar with the ACC and is one of the better recruiters who could potentially be available. One issue is that a Duke team that is off the Darian Mensah portal fiasco might match dollars with FSU-- which seems strange, but remember that the Seminoles are starting out in a $46-$50 million hole.

Kenny Dillingham

Dillingham is an upwardly mobile coach who coached at FSU as offensive coordinator/QB coach in 2020-2021. He's 25-20 at Arizona State and may be growing disenchanted of bumping his head on the ceiling of a ho-hum program after a 2024 College Football Playoff berth. At just 36 years old, Dillingham is younger and likely hungrier than most of the other coaches on this list. Arizona State would likely seek somebody else with western roots, perhaps OC Marcus Arroyo.