The university announced an immediate leadership change and a national search after a 3-5 start to the 2026 season.

Florida State dismissed head football coach Mike Norvell on Sunday, November 1, and named Rick Stockstill interim head coach. The university said it would immediately begin a national search for the programme's next permanent leader.

File photo: Mike Norvell (rear center) on the Florida State sideline during the game against SMU on September 7, 2026. Photo: Keiteay. Source photograph · CC BY 4.0.

In its official announcement, FSU said President Richard McCullough informed Norvell of the change Sunday afternoon. Norvell's seven-season tenure ended with a 41-39 record, according to the school. The Seminoles are 3-5 this season.

A championship high, followed by difficult seasons

Norvell led Florida State to the 2023 ACC championship and a 13-0 start that season. The university's announcement set that achievement alongside the team's more recent struggles, including missing bowl games in each of the previous two seasons.

The timing followed Saturday's 36-24 defeat to Clemson. The ACC's game report documents that result, which left Florida State facing a consequential November even before Sunday's leadership change.

The two chapters explain why a coaching tenure can resist a simple verdict. The 2023 title is part of the record; so are the losses that followed. Sunday's announcement ends the tenure rather than resolving every debate about how the programme arrived at this point.

Stockstill takes charge of the remaining work

Stockstill is in his third season on FSU's staff after 18 years as Middle Tennessee State's head coach. He also played quarterback at Florida State and is a member of the university's athletics hall of fame, the school said.

An interim appointment establishes who leads the team now. It does not announce the result of the permanent search. No replacement candidate should be treated as hired on the strength of a speculative list or an anonymous social-media post.

For players and assistants, the immediate task is more concrete than the search: preparing for another game under a changed chain of command. Practice planning, communication and assignments still have to be handled while the programme's longer-term future draws attention.

The next date is already set

FSU's announcement says the season continues at Boston College on Saturday, November 7, with a noon start on ACC Network. That gives Stockstill a defined first week in charge while the university begins its search.

The confirmed news is the dismissal, the interim appointment and the school's stated search process. This report does not attach an unverified buyout figure or claim inside knowledge of negotiations. Read more college and professional coverage in Taken Social's Sports section.