3 head-coaching candidates Florida State should target after firing Mike Norvell

Missouri Tigers HC Eli Drinkwitz 

Missouri signed Drinkwitz to a six-year contract extension in 2025 after the Penn State Nittany Lions and other programs showed interest in the coach. Florida State should still see if it can try to lure him to Tallahassee. 

Coaching in a less competitive league may appeal to the coach. Drinkwitz, entering his seventh season with Missouri, has won 10 or more games in two of his past three seasons and still hasn't led the program to an SEC Championship Game. As of Sunday, ESPN Football Power Index gives the 6-2 Tigers a meager 0.9 percent chance to win the conference.

Drinkwitz could bring his high-powered passing attack to Florida State. Entering Week 10, the Tigers rank fourth in the SEC in passing yards (257.1 YPG). 

Duke Blue Devils HC Manny Diaz

Yes, Diaz flopped when he coached for the Miami Hurricanes from 2019-21, going 21-15 before he was fired. Perhaps he would fare better with Miami's biggest rival. 

Diaz has since salvaged his head-coaching reputation with Duke, going 24-11 over the past three seasons. After winning their first outright ACC title since 1962 last season, the Blue Devils (6-2, 3-2 ACC) remain solid. 

Diaz may feel he's building something at Duke and may not want to abandon that project. However, he may be tired of playing second fiddle at the basketball school.

Georgia Bulldogs DC Glenn Schumann 

Going in a defensive direction would make sense for Florida State. The Seminoles rank second to last in the ACC in yards allowed (424.4 YPG) and 15th in points surrendered (28.9 PPG). 

Schumann, who calls plays for Georgia, is one of college football's top defensive minds. The Bulldogs rank first in the SEC in points allowed (14.9). He's also excellent at developing talent. Since he was promoted to DC in 2022, the Bulldogs have churned out multiple first-round picks in the NFL Draft, including defensive lineman Jalen Carter (Philadelphia Eagles), safety Malaki Starks (Baltimore Ravens) and linebacker Jalon Walker (Atlanta Falcons)

Schumann, 36, has no head-coaching experience. But after years as an assistant for Georgia HC Kirby Smart and former Alabama Crimson Tide HC Nick Saban, he should have a strong sense of how to build and run a championship-caliber program.