Coaching upheaval hit college football hard in 2025, and even with a fresh calendar in 2026, a few Power Four seats are still glowing hot.
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic singled out Florida State’s Mike Norvell as the coach most likely to be the first one shown the door this season. Norvell is heading into his seventh year in Tallahassee, and the pressure is unmistakable after a stretch that has swung from real promise to a brutal collapse.
Florida State’s September schedule is a minefield. The Seminoles face SMU and Alabama in back-to-back demanding games, and Mandel pointed to October ACC losses as the kind of thing that could push the situation over the edge.
Norvell took over for Willie Taggart in the 2020 offseason, when the pandemic made program building even tougher than usual. His first 12-game season ended at 5-7. That year opened with a loss to then-FCS Jacksonville State in the second week, though Florida State did manage to go 4-4 in ACC play.
The Seminoles later put together their best stretch in years. In 2022, they beat Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl to finish with 10 wins for the first time since 2016. Then came 2023, when Florida State ran the table in the regular season for the first time since 2014.
But the drop-off from 2023 to 2024 was stunning. Florida State went 2-10, its worst record in 50 seasons. The offense and line play were overwhelmed, and the Seminoles topped 20 points only once against an FBS opponent.
An upset win over Alabama to open 2025 briefly suggested a turnaround might be coming. Instead, Florida State stumbled to a 2-6 mark in ACC play, and Norvell’s record against conference opponents over the last two seasons fell to 3-13.
Mandel also flagged Luke Fickell at Wisconsin as another coach who could be in trouble early. The Badgers are coming off a 4-8 season, and a rough start that includes losses to Notre Dame and Penn State, plus a possible home defeat to Michigan State, could put Fickell on very thin ice.
The ACC has a couple more situations worth watching too. Clemson’s early road trips to LSU and California, along with a home date against Miami, could leave the Tigers sitting at 2-3. If things keep slipping after the bye week, frustration around Dabo Swinney could spike fast.
North Carolina is in a similarly precarious spot. Games against TCU, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh could send the Tar Heels’ 2026 season off track quickly, and the constant off-field controversy involving Bill Belichick has created what Mandel described as an administrative nightmare.
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Florida State Has A New Quarterback Battle Fans Need To Watch
Fall camp has given Florida State a fresh subplot under center, and it involves a newcomer who arrived only in May. Junior transfer Malachi Marshall has drawn attention from Mike Norvell for the way he has thrown the ball and for how quickly he has absorbed the offense, making him one of the more interesting developments as the Seminoles sort through their quarterback room.
Behind presumed starter Ashton Daniels, the backup job is still very much up for grabs, and that has put Marshall in direct competition with sophomore Kevin Sperry. With the season getting closer and the depth chart still unsettled, Florida State has a legitimate battle to monitor in the weeks ahead, one that could reshape how the Seminoles feel about their quarterback insurance policy. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Suddenly Has A Secondary Problem Tony White Must Solve
Florida States secondary took another hit with Karson Hobbs going down in camp, forcing the Seminoles to rework a part of the defense that had already been under the microscope. Hobbs was expected to help stabilize the nickel spot, and his absence leaves defensive coordinator Tony White with one less experienced option as he tries to sort out how the back end fits together.
The immediate answer appears to be Duke transfer MaKhi Jones, who is now the presumptive starter at nickel. But the larger issue is what comes behind him, because the depth chart there is suddenly thin and the staff may have to shuffle personnel to keep the defense balanced. For White, it is the kind of adjustment that can ripple through the entire secondary before the season even gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Is Giving Sebastian Janikowski A Rare Program Honor
Florida State is preparing to put one of its most recognizable special-teams stars in a class of his own. The university announced that Sebastian Janikowski will have his No. 38 jersey retired during the Seminoles 2026 season opener against New Mexico State, adding a rare layer of distinction to a player who was already an All-American and a two-time Lou Groza Award winner during his run in Tallahassee from 1997 to 1999.
Janikowski went on to a long NFL career, most notably with the Raiders, but his Florida State legacy has never really faded in the building at Doak Campbell Stadium. He will be officially honored with an in-game recognition as part of the ceremony, a fitting stage for a program that does not hand out jersey retirements often and clearly views this as one of its special nods to a former standout. [Read more 🡒]