The Florida State Seminoles have been at the center of the college football world to start the offseason. Whether it’s their NIL violations that were met with harsh criticism of the NCAA or head coach Mike Norvell’s inclusion in the Alabama head coaching vacancy rumors, FSU has been quite popular this January.
And that includes their non-inclusion into the College Football Playoffs and subsequent exodus of players to the portal. Yet, we’ve not even included their disappointing showing in the Orange Bowl, yet.
With all this talk around Tallahassee, the FSU Seminoles are pressing forward, with Mike Norvell firmly in the picture.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Norvell will sign a contract extension that pays him more than $10 million a year and keep him in Tallahassee for the foreseeable future.
The contract extension doesn’t put to bed the rumors of Norvell’s leaving for another job in the future, but it certainly squashes any fears Florida State fans had around Norvell’s jumping to Tuscaloosa anytime soon. His previous contract buyout was set at $4 million, a small hurdle in the layout of college football coach contracts, but no word on whether his buyout has increased with his extension.
Norvell’s contract of over $10 million per year places him firmly in the discussion of the highest-paid coaches in the country. His place will ultimately be found once the full contract details are made public.
MORE: Highest-Paid College Football Coaches
The ‘Noles now have their coach locked up and in town for the future, a pivotal aspect to college football coaching that now has to be attentive 365 days a year with the transfer portal and recruiting always open. Norvell and the Seminole fanbase can rejoice that — for the time being — his name is seemingly off the table for the Alabama job.
What Florida State fans do still have to worry about, however, is the recent allegations of impermissible NIL benefits and the penalties handed down by the NCAA. That two-year probation period includes the loss of scholarships and the inability to speak with potential transfer portal athletes in the spring.
Norvell and the ‘Noles have proven to be one of the bigger and better users of the portal over the past few seasons, and his work will now be cut out for him.
A step in the right direction, Florida State’s extension of Norvell is a pivotal piece in recruiting both high school athletes and portal athletes, as other programs can’t use any looming head coaching move against the ‘Noles going forward.
That should at least earn a sigh of relief for Florida State fans.
Miss any action from the top college QB Rankings during the 2023 football season? Want to track all the movement with the college football’s transfer portal? College Football Network has you covered with that and more!