Florida State makes major decision on head coach Mike Norvell

It's been a rough for years for the Florida State Seminoles. The once-proud program under Bobby Bowden and then Jimbo Fisher is coming off a winning campaign for just first time since the 2017 season. 

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

As such, Florida State has announced that Norvell is receiving a contract extension that will keep him in Tallahassee through the 2029 season. 

“Coach Norvell has re-established a culture that the entire Seminole Family can appreciate,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford said in a press release. “We are proud of the way Coach Norvell, his staff and his team represent Florida State University on and off the field. Under Coach Norvell’s leadership we have experienced the highest grade-point average in program history multiple times, an unprecedented impact in our community and drastic improvement on the football field through him establishing a foundation of unwavering standards in all areas. I’m happy that we are going to continue climbing with Coach Norvell for years to come.”

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

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Norvell will average $8.05 million per year with his new contract. That puts him at roughly around $56 million over the duration of the seven-year extension, not including incentives. Starting in 2024, those incentives include $200,000 extra for a New Year's Six bowl appearance, $250,000 for a first-round appearance in the College Football Playoff and $950,000 for winning it all.

Norvell's original contract with FSU was a six-year deal that saw him averaging $4.41 million a year, so this is a big-time step up for the 41-year-old.