Duke head coach Manny Diaz is among the coaches being discussed as a potential replacement for Mike Norvell at Florida State if the Seminoles move on from their current staff.
Florida State is 3-3 after Friday’s 44-20 loss at Louisville. The Seminoles led 14-0 early before being outscored 44-6 the rest of the game.
Norvell is in his seventh season in Tallahassee and holds a 41-37 overall record with the program. Results have fallen off sharply since the Seminoles went undefeated in the regular season and won the ACC title in 2023.
Since the start of the 2024 season, Norvell is 10-20. Conference play has been especially difficult, with Florida State at 4-15 in ACC games over that span.
Any coaching change would carry a significant price. Norvell’s buyout is estimated at roughly $51 million if he is dismissed before the end of the 2026 season. Sources have placed the all-in cost of a full staff transition, including assistant buyouts and new roster investment, near $100 million.
The athletic department already carries more than $430 million in debt, most of it linked to stadium renovations and other facility projects. That load has limited flexibility for additional large commitments.
On3 analyst J.D. PicKell has publicly ruled out a return for former coach Jimbo Fisher.
“Who could be the next head coach at Florida State?” PicKell said. “I don’t think it’s Jimbo Fisher.”
PicKell cited Fisher’s tenure at Texas A&M as evidence against bringing him back.
“The issue to me is Jimbo Fisher had, from where I was standing, everything he needed to win at Texas A&M and refused to adapt or be malleable to the circumstances,” PicKell said.
PicKell instead pointed to Diaz as a coach who could change the tone of the program. Diaz is a Florida State graduate who worked as a graduate assistant under Bobby Bowden in 1998 and 1999.
He later served as head coach at Miami, where he went 21-15 over three seasons. At Duke he has produced consecutive nine-win seasons and led the Blue Devils to the ACC championship in 2025.
“Temperature changer, also a defensive guy, so you kind of zig where you zag with Mike Norvell. Manny Diaz, to me, makes a lot of sense,” PicKell said.
PicKell noted that Diaz knows the region from his time at Miami and argued the school should at least make contact even if Diaz is unlikely to leave Duke. Diaz and the Blue Devils are 4-1 this season after a narrow loss at Georgia Tech.
PicKell also mentioned Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, who previously served as Norvell’s offensive coordinator at Florida State, and Louisville’s Jeff Brohm.
“You talk about a temperature changer, talk about a crazy person, talk about high energy, Kenny Dillingham is all that,” PicKell said. “And also, a pretty good track record at quarterback. Kenny Dillingham seems to know what he’s doing.”
On Brohm, PicKell added, “Another interesting name, head coach at Louisville, quarterback whisperer… Jeff Brohm would make some sense here.”
Norvell said Monday he has not had recent conversations with administrators about his job status. Reports indicate a midseason firing remains unlikely, though pressure continues after the Louisville loss.
Florida State travels to No. 4 Miami next. The Seminoles have not won a regular-season road game since late 2023 and need multiple victories to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since their title season.
Diaz’s defensive background and recent success at a program without Florida State’s traditional resources have kept his name in circulation as the Seminoles weigh their options.
