Florida State makes major decision on head coach Mike Norvell

It’s been tough for years for the Florida State Seminoles. The once-proud program under Bobby Bowden and then Jimbo Fisher has just won a winning campaign for the first time since the 2017 season.

The Seminoles were 9-3 and earned a trip to the Cheez-It Bowl where they beat Oklahoma, 35-32. The 10-3 season with a bowl victory over a college football blueblood was apparently enough to convince FSU superiors — as well as donors — that head coach Mike Norvell is the right person for the job.

As such, Florida State announced Norvell was given a contract extension that would keep him in Tallahassee through the 2029 season.

“Coach Norvell has restored a culture the entire Seminole family can enjoy,” Vice President and Athletic Director Michael Alford said in a news release. “We are proud of the way Coach Norvell, his staff and his team represent Florida State University on and off the court. Under Coach Norvell’s leadership, we have repeatedly experienced the highest GPA in program history, unprecedented impact on our community, and drastic improvement on the football field thanks to him establishing a basis of unshakable standards in all areas. I am happy that we will continue to climb with Coach Norvell for years to come.

Speaking of restoring a culture, the Seminoles finished the 2022 season ranked 10th in the coaches’ poll and 11th in the AP poll. Specific to the AP, it was their highest final ranking since 2016, when they finished No. 8 at the end of the Fisher era.

According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Norvell will make an average of $8.05 million per year under his new contract. That puts it at around $56 million over the duration of the seven-year extension, not including incentives. Beginning in 2024, those incentives include an additional $200,000 for a New Year’s Six Bowl appearance, $250,000 for a first-round college football playoff appearance, and $950,000 for winning it all.

Norvell’s initial contract with FSU was a six-year deal which earned him an average of $4.41 million a year, so this is a big step up for the 41-year-old.