Mike Norvell contract, buyout details: What FSU owes if it fires football coaches - Tallahassee Democrat

It just keeps getting worse for Florida State football and head coach Mike Norvell.

The Seminoles entered 2024 with an ACC Championship season that started 13-0 before being bounced from the College Football Playoff. They were ranked No. 10 in the preseason LMB USA Coaches Poll, but have lost their first three games and now sit 1-7 outside the bowl after a 36-14 loss to archrival Miami.

Norvell’s spot is red hot, but the nature of his contract means that firing him won’t be easy. He signed a hefty contract extension in January after being a top contender to replace Nick Saban for the Alabama job. The rest of his coaching staff, from offensive coordinator Alex Atkins and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller to longtime assistant Odell Huggins and quarterbacks coach Tony Kokarz, also received raises and contract extensions beyond the 2023 season.

Norvell’s time at FSU has been full of ups and downs, but this season marks a slump not seen since before Bobby Bowden took over. Unless the Seminoles win the rest of the schedule, they will have their worst record since 1975, when they went 3-8 under Darrell Mudra. If they can’t win more than one game the rest of the season, FSU will have double-digit losses for just the third time in program history (they were 1-10 in 1974 and 0-11 in 1973).

Here’s what you need to know about Norvell’s contract, including details on his buyout if Florida State decides to part ways with him this year:

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Mike Norvell Florida State Contract

Length: 10 years
Total value: more than $84 million before incentives
Annual Average Value (AAV): $10 million in 2024

Florida State signed Norvell to an eight-year extension worth more than $84 million before incentives after he flirted with the open Alabama coaching position following Nick Saban’s retirement, according to data obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

Norvell’s average annual value (AAV) is $10 million for the 2024 college football season. That tied him for sixth in USA TODAY’s database of the highest-paid college football coaches among public university and college coaches. Norvell made $5.55 million in his fourth contract year in 2023, which ranked 15th among coaches.

The Seminoles are 1-7, their worst record since 1975, the year before Bobby Bowden took over as head coach. FSU also finished with seven losses in 2021, Norvell’s second season as head coach, and in 2018 and 2019 under Willie Taggart.

Buying out Norvell, however, would prove costly for the university. Norvell will receive $63.8 million not to coach the Seminoles, or 85 percent of his base salary and additional pay for the remainder of the contract, which expires on Dec. 31, 2031.

Florida State Assistant Coach Salaries

If Norvell is too expensive to fire, could FSU look for changes elsewhere on the coaching staff? The entire coaching staff received raises and contract extensions following a 13-1 2023 season. Here’s a look at the assistant coaches’ contracts, courtesy of The Osceola:

Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins

Employed: December 21, 2019

Contract: Runs through February 28, 2028

2024: $1.25 million
2025: 1.3 million dollars
2026: 1.4 million dollars

Notes: Make $1.15 million in 2023.

Florida State defensive coordinator Adam Fuller

Employed: December 12, 2019

Contract: Runs through February 28, 2027

2024: 1.8 million dollars
2025: 1.8 million dollars
2026: 1.8 million dollars

Notes: Made $1.2 million in 2023 and was previously in line to make $1.3 million this season.