Following Florida State’s unranked upset over a ranked Alabama team, the Seminoles and their fans were on top of the college football world. They beat ‘Bama, and they were back.
Then, the meat of their schedule knocked them off balance. First, a surprise upset to Virginia in Charlottesville. Then, the next week, FSU fell to a tough top-three Miami squad. Now, this week, the No. 25 Seminoles fell a third time — a 34-31 stunner to Pittsburgh in Tallahassee, Florida.
Who Could Replace Mike Norvell At Florida State?
Nothing is official yet, but that never stops fans from speculating. After the clock hit zero and FSU suffered its third loss of the year, fans took to social media to express their disapproval of current head coach Mike Norvell.
A native of Irving, Texas, Norvell has been with Florida State since 2020 after a successful first head-coaching role at Memphis. Through five seasons though, Norvell’s record with the Seminoles is 36-30 with a 20-23 mark in ACC play.
If Norvell were to be fired — either now, or at the end of the season — here are five potential coaches who could fill his position.
Alex Golesh, HC, USF Bulls
At just 41, USF HC Alex Golesh is one of the younger coaches in college football — not just in age, but also in head coaching chops. The coach, born in Moscow, Russia, has been with South Florida since 2023.
In two and a half seasons with the Bulls, he has led the team to a 19-13 overall record with a 10-8 mark in conference play. While Golesh is on the younger side, he has experience recruiting in Florida — he also spent a season at UCF as the offensive coordinator.
Gus Malzahn, OC, Florida State Seminoles
Gus Malzahn, a staple in college football coaching since 2006, also shares prior state of Florida ties — he led UCF for four seasons. Also, obviously, Malzahn has the added benefit of already being on the Seminoles’ roster. If Norvell were fired, Malzahn would likely be the internal interim hire.
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Over 13 seasons as a head coach, Malzahn has led Arkansas State, Auburn, and UCF to a collective 105-62 record. He has also received the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award, the Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, the SEC Coach of the Year Award, and many other accolades.
Jon Sumrall, HC, Tulane Green Wave
Jon Sumrall is one of the more popular up-and-coming coaching options. After a two-year stint at Troy, where his teams went 23-4 overall and 14-2 in conference play, the Texas native moved on to Tulane, where he has built the Green Wave into American Conference contenders.
With the Trojans, he won two Sun Belt titles and won the only bowl game he coached in (’23 Cure Bowl). It is a common talking point in college football circles that Sumrall wants to take over a big program. While most suspect an SEC squad, FSU is still a very large brand. Also, rumors have circulated of the ‘Noles potentially joining the SEC.
Ryan Silverfield, HC Memphis Tigers
Ryan Silverfield, the coach of the Memphis Tigers, is another young coach who some team will be lucky to have. Memphis is his first head-coaching gig, and he has made the most of it — the Tigers are 48-21 (25-17) through seven seasons under the coach.
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While Silverfield doesn’t have a laundry list of schools he’s stopped at, he’s been remarkably consistent at Memphis. Every full season he’s coached, the Tigers have won at least six games and have made a bowl game each season. His only bowl loss was in 2019 to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl.
Like Sumrall, Silverfield is likely to move on to a Power Four school in the near future.
Deion Sanders, HC, Colorado Buffaloes
While it might seem like an outlandish option, Deion Sanders would be an excellent fit for the Seminoles. Not only did “Neon Deion” play college ball in Tallahassee, but he has been mentioned for this role since he was at Jackson State.
Speaking of JSU, part of Sanders’ appeal is the prominence he has given the FCS HBCU. Their games were regularly televised on national TV, and several “smaller-name” recruits got drafted into the NFL.
Coach Prime’s tenure in Boulder with the Buffs hasn’t been pretty — while he coached two-way star Travis Hunter to a Heisman, his teams have only gone 15-16 with an 8-13 mark in conference play.
Still, Sanders knows how to electrify a crowd, coach up and scout players, and if the two sides could finally reunite, the former ‘Noles DB could usher in a new era of Florida State football.
Deion Sanders do in fact have a degree.. He holds a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Organization Management from Talladega College (HBCU) since August 2020.
So he is very much qualified for this position.
Prime doesn’t have a degree. Stop talking about him to coach FSU… the head coach of Florida State University (FSU) is required to have a college degree.
the head coach of Florida State University (FSU) is required to have a college degree.