Florida State’s loss to SMU on Monday night did more than drop the Seminoles to 1-1. It sent Deion Sanders’ name right back into the coaching rumor cycle, even though there are no credible reports that Florida State has reached out to the Colorado coach.
That kind of chatter is familiar territory for Sanders. Whenever a major job opens up or starts to wobble, his name gets attached to it, and he has already said that sort of speculation can spill into Colorado’s recruiting conversations.
For Florida State coach Mike Norvell, the pressure was already there before the 27-24 defeat. The loss only sharpened the questions around his future.
Florida State is coming off a 2-10 season in 2024 and a 5-7 year before that, a 7-17 run that included a 3-13 ACC mark. After Monday night, Norvell is 39-35 at Florida State.
The numbers around any possible change are steep. Norvell’s buyout is about $51 million during the 2026 season and would drop to around $45.6 million after the season. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic has also reported that even an 8-4 finish might not automatically settle Norvell’s future if the losses are bad enough.
Norvell also went back to calling the offense himself this season, and he entered the year saying he expected the best year of his life. Two games in, the noise around the program is only getting louder.
Sanders’ Florida State ties are the reason his name keeps surfacing. He played for the Seminoles from 1985 through 1988 and became one of the most recognizable players in program history. That connection is enough to make Tallahassee a natural landing spot in the rumor mill whenever Florida State’s job security comes up.
But the line between rumor and reality matters, especially for Colorado. Sanders signed a five-year, $54 million extension with the Buffaloes that runs through 2029.
When Front Office Sports asked him in June about coaching rumors, Sanders said they “weren’t real at all.” He has also repeatedly said he's happy in Boulder.
That said, Colorado has already seen how outside speculation can bleed into recruiting. During the Texas A&M coaching speculation in November 2023, Sanders said rival programs were telling recruits he would not stay at Colorado.
“They think we’re going to be so successful that I am going to leave. So they understand what we possess and the potential we possess,” Sanders said then. “But that’s not true.”
Four-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. reopened his commitment to Colorado that same week, and told Rivals that uncertainty over whether “Prime will still be there” was part of why he wanted to keep his options open.
That’s the part Colorado has reason to watch now, especially with offensive line coach Gunnar White and the rest of the staff putting more emphasis on high school recruiting. Stability is part of that message whether it is said out loud or not.
For now, the facts are simple: Colorado is 1-0 and getting ready for Weber State, while Florida State heads into an open week before visiting Alabama on Sept 19. Until a credible report ties Sanders to Tallahassee, this is still speculation.
And Sanders has already made his position clear.
“I think certain people thought I wanted their jobs; I never wanted their job,” Sanders said in May. “I love Colorado, man. I love my kids that I have in that locker room, I love the staff, I love all of them.”
In Other News...
Mike Norvell's Future Just Became A Tough Florida State Debate
Florida States recent slide has turned Mike Norvells tenure into one of the sports more uncomfortable conversations. A coach who once guided the Seminoles to a 13-1 season now carries an 8-18 mark since then, including a 3-14 record in ACC play, and the disconnect between that high point and what followed has only sharpened the scrutiny around the program.
The debate is not just about results on the field, either. Norvells $84 million, 8-year contract extension makes any coaching change a major financial commitment, with a buyout estimated at around $45 million if the school chooses to move on. For Florida State, the rest of the season now looms as the clearest measuring stick, because the outcome could shape not only the direction of the program but also the size of the bill attached to it. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Heads To Alabama With One Problem Getting Harder To Ignore
Florida State heads to Alabama after two games that have already revealed both the promise and the frustration of this season. The Seminoles are 1-1, and while the offense has leaned on the running game, the larger concern has been a defense that has had trouble getting off the field, with opponents converting at an alarming rate on third down. Even in the loss to SMU, FSU found ways to stack up some statistical advantages, but it could not turn those into enough scoreboard gains.
What has made the early inconsistency harder to dismiss is how often the Seminoles have come up short in the tight moments. They have also allowed too many long, sustained drives, which has put extra pressure on an offense still trying to do enough without overextending itself. With Alabama next, the challenge is less about one bad night than whether Florida State can show it has a fix for the recurring issues that keep showing up when games get close. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State's Jimbo Nostalgia Ignores One Risk Fans Can't Afford
Jimbo Fishers return to the Florida State conversation came in an odd but familiar way, with the former Seminoles coach appearing on the ACC Huddle pregame show before Week 1 against SMU and hearing chants from fans who still remember his run in Tallahassee. In the middle of Mike Norvells struggles, it was the kind of scene that makes nostalgia feel powerful, especially for a fan base that knows exactly what Fisher once delivered and why his name still carries weight.
But the appeal of looking backward comes with a catch Florida State cannot ignore: college football has kept moving, and the coaches who built their reputations a decade ago have had to adapt or get left behind. Fisher has not coached since Texas A&M in 2023, and the same broader question hovers over other high-profile names like Clemsons Dabo Swinney, whose own recent troubles have underscored how hard it is to keep pace with the sports changing landscape. [Read more 🡒]