Game order →
Three wins in year one.
In the shortened 2020 season, FSU beat Jacksonville State, North Carolina and Duke. Six losses across nine games.
SAVE FSU
FOOTBALL.FIRE MIKE NORVELL.
We love Florida State. We believe Mike Norvell should be fired. After 4 losing seasons in 6 completed years, FSU needs a coach who can win consistently.
LET’S FUND HALF.
Coming soon250,000FSU fans
×$102each
=$25.5Mbefore fees
Half of the reported $51M buyout estimate. More than $102? Every extra dollar helps.
See the proposed campaign See the recordPROUD FANS. CALLING FOR CHANGE.Est. 2026 / Independent of FSU.
Our position
Florida State
needs a change.
Bobby Bowden built a national contender. Jimbo Fisher won another national championship. We expect FSU to compete for titles and win consistently.
The FSU standard
ACC regular-season win percentage
76.8%Before Norvell1992–2019 · 172–52
- Win national championships. Bowden won in 1993 and 1999. Fisher won in 2013. Bowden’s titles ↗ Fisher’s record ↗
- Stay in contention. Bowden’s teams finished in the AP top five for 14 straight seasons, 1987–2000. FSU history ↗
- Make winning routine. Fisher had 6 seasons with at least 10 wins and three straight ACC titles, 2012–14. Fisher’s record ↗
- Keep playing in the postseason. Bowden took FSU to bowls in his final 28 seasons. FSU Hall of Fame ↗
Why Norvell falls short
ACC regular-season win percentage
44.9%Under Norvell2020–2026 · 22–27
- 4 losing seasons in 6 completed years. We believe FSU has given him enough time to build a program that wins consistently. Season records ↓
- A 22–27 ACC regular-season record. Losing more conference games than we win falls short of what FSU should expect. ACC results ↓
- The recovery did not last. FSU went 23–4 in 2022–23 and won the 2023 ACC title, then finished 7–17 overall and 3–13 in the ACC across 2024–25. Season records ↓
- 0–6 against Florida, Miami and Clemson in 2024–25. Rivalry games are part of the job. Rivalry records ↓
- No top-10 recruit classes in 7 completed cycles. Fisher had 7 in 8, using the same 247Sports Composite ranking. Recruiting comparison ↓
31.9 percentage points lower under Norvell. ACC regular-season games only; championship games excluded. Before Norvell covers FSU’s ACC membership from 1992–2019, including the Taggart and Haggins seasons. On-field results include 6 ACC wins from 2006–07 that were later vacated. Norvell’s figures run through September 7, 2026. FSU record book, pp. 178–180 ↗ Norvell’s season records ↓
We support the players. We believe FSU’s leadership should replace Mike Norvell and make a financially responsible transition.
The buyout & fan mathFundraising · Coming soon. 250,000 fans × $102 = $25.5 million before fees—half of the reported buyout estimate. Larger contributions would help cover more. No donations or pledges are being accepted.
39–35Overall, 2020–2026*
22–27ACC regular-season record*
7–17Last two complete seasons
4 of 6Completed seasons with losing records
*Results through September 7, 2026. Verified September 9, 2026.Sources & methodology
01 / Every season
Mike Norvell
at Florida State.
An ACC title. Then two losing seasons.
FSU went 23–4 in 2022–23, then 7–17 in 2024–25. Here is every season from Norvell’s first year through the latest result.
Overall record · ACC regular season Win Loss
Game order →
0–4 to start year two.
Jacksonville State beat FSU 20–17 at Doak. The Seminoles opened 0–4 and finished with a second straight losing season.
Game order →
Back to 10 wins.
FSU won its final six games. A 35–32 victory over Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl capped the season.
Game order →
An ACC championship.
FSU won its first 13 games and the ACC title before losing the Orange Bowl. The 2022 and 2023 teams combined for a 23–4 record.
Game order →
From champions to 10 losses.
One ACC win. Wins over California and Charleston Southern were the only victories of the season.
Game order →
3–0 became 5–7.
FSU beat then-No. 8 Alabama 31–17 and won its first three games, then lost seven of its final nine.
Game order →
Season in progress.
Latest result: FSU 24, SMU 27 on September 7, 2026.
One colored block per completed game, in schedule order. Hover or tap for the opponent and score. Gray blocks have no result; canceled games are omitted. Overall records include postseason games; ACC records exclude the conference championship game. Results through September 7, 2026; 2026 is in progress.
Rivalry games
Beat our rivals.
That is part of the job.
FSU’s records against Florida, Miami and Clemson during the Norvell era, through September 7, 2026.
In-state rival
Florida
2–3FSU wins–losses
In-state rival
Miami
3–3FSU wins–losses
ACC rival
Clemson
1–4FSU wins–losses
0–6
Against these three opponents in 2024 and 2025.
Records count FSU games during Norvell’s tenure, including Miami in 2020, when Chris Thomsen handled in-person coaching while Norvell isolated with COVID-19. Florida and Clemson were not played in 2020; unplayed games are excluded. Each year links to FSU’s official schedule.
Embarrassing ACC losses
Losing to teams
with losing records.
We expect FSU to win these games. These four ACC opponents all finished their seasons below .500 overall.
Georgia Tech
L 13–16FSU score first
- Opponent’s final record
- 3–7
- Opponent’s ACC record
- 3–6
Louisville
L 16–48FSU score first
- Opponent’s final record
- 4–7
- Opponent’s ACC record
- 3–7
North Carolina
L 11–35FSU score first
- Opponent’s final record
- 6–7
- Opponent’s ACC record
- 3–5
UNC finished the regular season 6–6; its bowl loss made the final record 6–7.
Stanford
L 13–20FSU score first
- Opponent’s final record
- 4–8
- Opponent’s ACC record
- 3–5
Selected examples, verified September 8, 2026. Final overall records include bowl games; ACC records cover the regular season.
02 / Talent acquisition
Norvell’s roster building
is not delivering.
High school recruiting has lagged, and strong portal class rankings have not produced sustained winning. In the NIL era, FSU needs to recruit, add transfers, retain talent and turn that roster into results.
Compare FSU with the teams finishing at the top.
The final AP top five from each 2023–2025 season, alongside FSU. Each row shows that same year’s incoming recruit and transfer classes. Lower national rank is better.
12 / 15
Ahead of FSU in recruiting.
Of these 15 top-five finishes, 12 came from teams with a higher-ranked recruit class than FSU that year.
3 / 3
FSU portal classes in the top 10.
The portal has brought highly ranked classes to Tallahassee. Those rankings have not translated into consistent winning.
2023
Final AP poll ↗2024
Final AP poll ↗247Sports national ranks checked September 9, 2026. Recruit = Recruit Composite (high school/prep and JUCO); Portal = 247Sports Transfer ranking. The two columns use different rating systems and are not averaged together. These are incoming classes, not full rosters; class size matters. Rankings do not measure departures, retention, player development or NIL spending. The final AP poll selects the comparison teams after each season.
Norvell must develop the talent he brings in.
FSU’s 2024 portal class ranked No. 7, ahead of national champion Ohio State’s No. 9. Its 2025 class ranked No. 6, ahead of champion Indiana’s No. 25. FSU went 7–17 across those two seasons.
To us, that points to problems with development, roster fit and coaching. Highly ranked arrivals should become better players and a team that wins consistently. Norvell must answer for the recruiting gap and what happens to the talent once it gets to Tallahassee.
Fisher set a higher recruiting bar.
FSU had top-10 recruit classes in 7 of Fisher’s 8 cycles. Norvell has 0 in 7 completed cycles, using the same 247Sports Composite ranking.
Jimbo Fisher · 2010–20177 of 8Classes ranked in the top 10
Best class: No. 2
Mike Norvell · 2020–20260 of 7Classes ranked in the top 10
Best class: No. 12
247Sports Recruit Composite · National rankLower rank is better
Jimbo Fisher 2010–2017
2010*#8View class
2011#2View class
2012#4View class
2013#11View class
2014#4View class
2015#3View class
2016#3View class
2017#6View class
Mike Norvell 2020–2026
2020*#23View class
2021#23View class
2022#20View class
2023#19View class
2024#12View class
2025#20View class
2026#17View class
Fisher classes checked September 9, 2026; Norvell classes checked September 9, 2026. Recruit rankings include high school/prep and junior college. NCAA transfers are ranked separately. Historical rankings can be revised. *2010 and 2020 were transition classes; Fisher was already FSU’s offensive coordinator before becoming head coach. Incomplete future classes are excluded.
Top-10 classes were the norm under Fisher.
Fisher’s lowest-ranked class was No. 11. Norvell’s best is No. 12. Excluding both transition years, Fisher had 6 top-10 classes in 7 cycles; Norvell has 0 in 6.
The transfer portal matters, too.
This comparison covers recruit classes, not entire rosters. Norvell’s separate 2023 transfer class ranked No. 6 when checked September 9, 2026. Transfers, retention and player development also affect the team FSU puts on the field.
Our proposed campaign
LET’S FUND
HALF.
Fundraising · Coming soon
250,000 fans. $102 each.
Our proposed goal is $25.5 million before fees—half of Mike Norvell’s reported $51 million buyout estimate. Together, fans could reduce the amount FSU needs to fund a coaching change.
$102 is the suggested contribution. If you can give more when fundraising opens, every additional dollar helps cover more of the cost.
The buyout is only part of the cost. Assistant-coach obligations, a replacement hire, a new staff and other transition expenses would require additional funding.
Half the buyout, before fees.
250,000 fans × $102 = $25,500,000. With the illustrative card fees below, that would leave $24,685,000 toward the buyout. Larger contributions could help cover fees and increase the amount available to FSU.
Sources reviewed September 8, 2026. The $51 million figure is a reported estimate, not a confirmed payoff. Our $25.5 million gross goal is a proposal; FSU has not approved this campaign. The actual obligation depends on the contract and termination date.
USA TODAY separately estimates $46.7 million for termination on December 1, 2026. The two reports have not been reconciled against the complete contract.
FSU faces an ACC revenue disadvantage.
The ACC distributes less per full-share member than the SEC and Big Ten. That makes outside fundraising more important as FSU pays for coaches, football operations and the rest of the program.
ACC$47.1MFull-share member average
SEC$72.4M$25.3M above the ACC average
Big Ten$79.9M$32.8M above the ACC average
FY 2024–25: average total conference distributions to full-share members, not media-rights revenue alone or FSU’s exact payout. These are the latest comparable reported figures; future distributions may change. AP tax-filing comparison ↗
The path to $25.5 million.
Our focus is 250,000 fans at $102 each. These examples reach the same proposed gross goal before fees and other costs; they are not pledges or a forecast.
50,000 fans$510per fan
100,000 fans$255per fan
250,000 fans · Our focus$102per fan
500,000 fans$51per fan
What could fans cover?
What if we give more?
Start with 250,000 fans at $102, then try a larger contribution or a different fan count. This is an illustration, with no pledge or payment.
250,000 fans × $102
$25,500,000Hypothetical gross contributions- Share of the $25,500,000 gross campaign goal
- 100.0%
- Illustrative card fees
- −$815,000
- Estimated amount after card fees
- $24,685,000
- Share of the full $51,000,000 buyout reference after card fees
- 48.4%
- Full buyout reference left to cover in this example
- $26,315,000
Assumes one domestic card payment per fan at 2.9% + $0.30, with each payment’s fee rounded to cents. Other expenses, refunds, reserves and institutional charges are excluded. Illustrative fee source ↗
Inputs stay in this page and are not saved or submitted. No donations or pledges are being accepted.
Where the money would go.
Our proposed route is an approved institutional checkout and fund, with FSU handling its contract payments. No recipient has approved this campaign yet. FSU alone decides whether to change coaches.
Before fundraising opens.
We will publish the verified target, approved recipient, permitted uses, fees and rules for refunds or unused funds. No donations or pledges are being accepted.
Sources
Check the facts.
This is independent fan commentary, not an official Florida State University publication. Our call for a coaching change is an opinion; the statistics are linked to their sources.
Results & methodology
Season totals come from FSU’s official schedules. Overall includes postseason games; ACC records exclude the conference title game. Aggregate figures are calculated from these seasons.
Recruiting & funding
Both coaches are compared using 247Sports Recruit Composite national team rankings, with each year linked above. These are the publisher’s historical pages at the stated verification dates, not frozen signing-day rankings. Top-10 counts are calculated from the listed classes.
Fisher’s comparison ends with the 2017 entering class; he left FSU in December 2017. The separate 2023 transfer class ranked No. 6 when checked September 9, 2026.
Reported buyout estimates are planning references. No collection target, recipient acceptance or refund guarantee is confirmed. The calculator assumes one domestic card payment per fan and excludes costs beyond its stated processing estimate. Funding sources were reviewed September 8, 2026.
Archival stadium photo (2008): “Doak Campbell at night” by Patrick Landy (FSU Guy), CC BY 3.0. Cropped and darkened for presentation.