Florida State took its name off the coaching carousel Sunday — and Clemson will feel the impact.
The Seminoles announced that Mike Norvell will return for a seventh season in 2026, choosing stability over another reset despite a slide that’s turned a 2023 playoff snub into a two-year slog. Clemson, which heads to Doak Campbell Stadium next season, now knows exactly who will be on the opposite sideline.
From 12–0 and ACC Champs to Must-Win for a Bowl
Norvell’s job status became a hot-button topic as Florida State’s season unraveled.
The Seminoles dropped to 5–6 after a sloppy 21–11 loss at NC State on Friday, coughing up four turnovers and backing themselves into a corner. Now they need a win at Florida in Week 14 just to become bowl eligible.
Within the ACC, the regression is stark. FSU finished league play at 2–6, which is technically an improvement over last year’s 1–7, but miles away from where the program expected to be two years removed from a perfect regular season.
That’s the backdrop: Norvell is 7–16 since guiding Florida State to a 12–0 regular season and ACC championship in 2023, a campaign that ended with a bitter College Football Playoff snub in favor of one-loss Alabama. One of that team’s signature wins came in overtime at Death Valley, a 31–24 victory over Clemson.
Since then, the climb has turned into a slide.
Clemson Has Owned the Matchup Under Norvell
While FSU debates its ceiling, Clemson has quietly kept a firm grip on the head-to-head.
The Tigers’ 24–10 win over the Seminoles at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 8 was their ninth victory in the last 10 meetings dating back to 2015 and dropped Norvell to 1–4 against Clemson.
Clemson vs. Florida State under Norvell:
- 2020: Cancelled (COVID)
- 2021: Clemson 30, Florida State 20
- 2022: Clemson 34, Florida State 28
- 2023: Florida State 31, Clemson 24 (OT)
- 2024: Clemson 29, Florida State 13
- 2025: Clemson 24, Florida State 10
The lone breakthrough was that 2023 overtime classic. Everywhere else, Clemson has been the one dictating terms — including this fall, when the Tigers physically handled FSU in the trenches and leaned on their defense to control the game.
For Dabo Swinney’s program, Norvell’s return means more of the same system, staff and tendencies to study — and another chance to extend that dominance in Tallahassee next year.
Florida State Bets on Continuity, Clemson Eyes the Road
Keeping Norvell is a clear signal from Florida State’s administration: they believe the 2023 season wasn’t a fluke and that the current two-year slump can still be corrected from within.
On paper, his overall résumé remains a mixed bag:
- 38–33 in six seasons at FSU
- Only two winning seasons
- One ACC title, one playoff snub and now a fight just to reach a bowl
The decision also shapes Clemson’s 2026 roadmap. The Tigers haven’t seen a vintage, top-10 version of Florida State since that 12–0 run, but they know what the best version of a Norvell team looks like — and how thin the margins can be when FSU is clicking.
With the Tigers scheduled to visit Doak Campbell Stadium next season, this isn’t just another ACC game. It’s a measuring stick for both programs: whether Clemson can maintain its grip on a traditional rival, and whether Norvell can prove the 2023 peak is still reachable.
Clemson’s Present While Watching a Rival Decide Its Future
For now, Clemson’s focus stays closer to home.
The Tigers, sitting at 6–5, travel to Columbia next Saturday for a noon kickoff against South Carolina on SEC Network, fresh off a 45–10 win over Furman that secured bowl eligibility for the 27th straight season.
But Sunday’s news out of Tallahassee is a reminder of the bigger picture. While Clemson tries to reassert itself nationally, one of its long-time measuring sticks is betting that the same man who took it to the ACC summit — and then stumbled — can still guide it back.
Next season in Doak, Swinney and Norvell will get another say in whether that bet pays off.