Mike Norvell buyout: What it cost Florida State to move on from football coach 8 games into 7th season

The Seminoles are looking at a hefty payout for Norvell after moving on from their seventh-year coach Florida State fired seventh-year coach Mike Norvell on Sunday, parting ways following the Seminoles' 36-24 home loss to Clemson on Saturday that featured countless empty seats during a multi-possession game in the fourth quarter. The team's third consecutive ACC loss was the 17th setback for Norvell in his last 21 games against league competition, a horrid stretch that kept him on the hot seat each of the last two years. Norvell's buyout is estimated just under $49 million — roughly 85% of his remaining salary through a contract running through the 2031 season — which would be the third-biggest payout in college football history.

That figure is behind only the $77 million paid to Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and LSU's $54 million check to Brian Kelly last cycle. Norvell's remaining deal is subject to mitigation and could be offset and reduced if he lands another coaching job. Norvell signed a lucrative contract extension following the 2023 season, when the Seminoles went undefeated in the regular season and won the ACC title — only to be snubbed from the College Football Playoff due to quarterback injuries. With Nick Saban retiring at Alabama that same cycle, Norvell found just the right leverage to get