Florida State’s coaching picture may be changing fast, and Tom Herman is no longer the name sitting at the front of the line.
Herman arrived this summer as an assistant with the Seminoles, a move that seemed to position the former Texas head coach as a possible answer if Mike Norvell was pushed out. But after Florida State’s 1-1 start, that path looks less certain by the day. Norvell’s seat has only gotten hotter, yet the buzz around his potential replacement has shifted toward a familiar face in Tallahassee: Jimbo Fisher.
Fisher, who led Florida State to the 2013 national championship, is reportedly the program’s preferred option if it makes a change. According to Bruce Feldman, Fisher “really wants the job,” and that appears to have changed the conversation almost immediately. Florida State is now looking into bringing Fisher back as head coach if Norvell is fired.
The timing around Norvell’s future has also picked up. Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford on Monday, which looked like the first domino in a larger shakeup. Most insiders now expect the formal move on Norvell to come Saturday, after the Seminoles’ Week 3 game against Alabama, unless Florida State pulls off a stunning win.
That’s a sharp turn from where the speculation started. Herman, currently the Seminoles’ assistant head coach, seemed like the obvious internal bridge option. But Fisher’s return has become the louder storyline.
Fisher spent eight seasons at Florida State from 2010 through 2017 before taking the head coaching job at Texas A&M. He was fired by the Aggies in 2023. During his first run in Tallahassee, Fisher went 83-23 overall, won three ACC titles from 2012 to 2014, captured five postseason wins, and guided the Seminoles to their first College Football Playoff appearance in 2014.
Herman’s résumé is more recent but far less decorated. At Texas from 2017 to 2020, he went 32-18 and was let go after four seasons. In 2023, he took over at Florida Atlantic, where he finished 6-16 before being fired halfway through the 2024 season.
Norvell’s early results haven’t helped his case. Florida State opened with a 17-point win over New Mexico, but that was followed by a three-point loss to No.
19 SMU in Week 2. Week 3 brings No.
10 Alabama, and from the outside, that matchup already feels like a referendum.
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