Mike Norvell Contract Buyout: How much does Florida State HC owe the Seminoles if he leaves the program? 

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell would’ve hoped for a better ending than he and his team got in the 2023 college football season. Norvell led the Seminoles to an unbeaten record in the regular season, winning all 12 of their regular season games and the ACC championship game.

The disappointment began post-season when the Seminoles got left out of the college football playoffs despite being unbeaten. It got worse with several players opting out of the bowl game against Georgia, some to get on the transfer portal and others to prepare for the draft. The 63-3 battering the team got from Georgia sums up how bad it got for the Seminoles.

Following Florida State’s disappointing conclusion to the season and Nick Saban’s retirement, Mike Norvell is rumored to be in line for the Alabama job. Norvell has shown he’s more than qualified for the role at Alabama. And the Crimson Tide will be a huge improvement on the instability that has characterized Florida State in the past few weeks.

No official report has been made by Alabama concerning the rumors, and Norvell hasn’t debunked any of it yet. So, if the Tide truly comes knocking and he opens, what would it cost Norvell to leave Florida State in the form of a buyout?

What is Mike Norvell’s contract buyout?

If Mike Norvell should leave Florida State to accept a role at Alabama this year, he would have to pay the Seminoles $4 million as a buyout. This is as stated in the contract extension he signed with the Seminoles in February 2023. The contract stipulates that Norvell pays $6 million to the school if he leaves in 2023 (which he didn’t).

The amount reduced by $2 million in 2024 and will continue to reduce by $1 million every year until the contract runs out. The contract saw Norvell’s average annual salary increase from $4.4 million to $8.05 million. It also extends his stay at Florida State from 2026 on the initial contract to 2029.

2023 ACC Championship - Louisville v Florida State

Norvell earned himself a new contract by returning the Seminoles to a 10-win season in 2022, the first they’ve had since 2016. He justified the contract by leading the team to an unbeaten regular-season finish in 2023, winning the Seminoles’ first ACC title since 2014.

If Norvell stays at Florida State, he will have the daunting task of raising the team from the dust of the Orange Bowl defeat. The coming days will provide fans clarity on whether he is staying or not.