Brian Kelly didn’t exactly slam the door on Florida State when asked about the Seminoles’ coaching vacancy. He left it open wide enough to make his point.
Speaking on SiriusXM College Sports Radio, the former Notre Dame and LSU coach said leading Florida State “would be an honor and privilege” while reflecting on the program’s history, its fan base and the kind of atmosphere that comes with coaching in Tallahassee.
“I’ve got a great history with Florida State, great games,” Kelly said on SiriusXM College Sports Radio.
“I know what that’s like, the history and tradition of Florida State, playing in that state, and the fan base.”
Kelly also opened with a joke about the job prospects of an unemployed coach before turning serious about the opening left after Florida State fired Mike Norvell eight games into his seventh season. The school announced a national search Sunday, and former Seminoles quarterback Rick Stockstill will serve as the interim coach.
Kelly’s connection to Florida State runs through a handful of memorable games, and he didn’t have to reach far to find them. In 2014, his Notre Dame team nearly knocked off the defending national champions in Tallahassee before an offensive pass interference flag erased the apparent go-ahead touchdown in the final seconds. Florida State held on, 31-27.
Norvell also shows up in Kelly’s Seminoles memories. In Kelly’s first game at LSU, the Tigers scored a touchdown as time expired in New Orleans and needed only the extra point to force overtime. Florida State blocked the kick and escaped with a 24-23 win.
Kelly later went on to win the SEC West that season, the first of back-to-back 10-win years at LSU. Before that, he had already guided Notre Dame to two College Football Playoffs.
But much of Kelly’s interview drifted away from nostalgia and toward the realities of the modern job market. He said Indiana’s rise changed how he thinks about what a school like Florida State is up against.
A few years ago, Kelly said, Indiana’s football history alone would have led many people to dismiss the idea that it could compete at the top. Now, he said, any coach taking over at Florida State has to explain how he plans to beat programs that once might not have been part of the conversation at all.
That backdrop matters because of how fast things unraveled. Norvell had taken Florida State to 13-0 and an ACC championship in 2023, only to see the playoff committee leave the Seminoles out. The next two seasons brought bowl-less finishes, and by the time the school made its change Sunday, Florida State was 3-5.
Kelly still believes the Seminoles’ name carries weight in recruiting. What he questioned was how long that edge lasts if another program is better at building the roster.
He even compared the staying power of a familiar brand to Radio Shack, using it as an example of how recognition can linger even after customers have moved on.
For Kelly, the message was clear: he knows what winning in Tallahassee used to require. If Florida State comes calling, he’d want to know what it will take now.
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