Matt Johnson
Florida State University stuck by head coach Mike Norvell after a disastrous 2024 season in which the program went 2-10. After a promising start to the 2025 campaign, the team’s dramatic fall-off has made it clear that it’s time to start evaluating Florida State Seminoles coaching candidates.
A change isn’t expected to be made until after the season, but it’s worth examining the situation. The issue the school faces is that the costs associated with a coaching change, well north of $50 million, don’t even factor in the cost of hiring a new staff. The financial commitment required is one of the reasons why the Seminoles’ coaching search likely won’t end with a big name being hired.
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Before diving into our Florida State coaching candidates, we’ll note that we haven’t included Jimbo Fisher or Deion Sanders. The Seminoles don’t need to go back in time to try and make it work again with Fisher. As for Sanders, his track record without Travis Hunter doesn’t warrant a premier job.
Alex Golesh, South Florida Bulls Coach
Florida ties will obviously be a factor considered in the Seminoles’ coaching search. South Florida Bulls coach Alex Golesh has already spent the past three years in the region, and he previously worked as a co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach in 2020 at Central Florida. At UCF, he learned from head coach Josh Heupel and followed him to the Tennessee Volunteers (2021–22) to serve as the offensive coordinator. Since Golesh left Tennessee for his first head-coaching gig, the Vols’ offense has taken a bit of a step back.
Golesh, age 41, is more than just a great offensive play-caller and game plan designer. He’s demonstrated the ability to turn around a program that is in the cellar, completely changing its identity and delivering results almost instantly. He’s done just that for South Florida, who went 4-26 under Jeff Scott, and now has three consecutive seasons with seven-plus wins under Golesh. He’d be an affordable option for Florida State, who offers reasonable upside and could thrive with the right recruiters put around him.
Jedd Fisch, Washington Huskies Coach
As previously mentioned, familiarity with the region is a point of emphasis for many of our Florida State coaching candidates. Jedd Fisch is a University of Florida alum who worked on coaching staffs with the Florida Gators (1999–2000), Miami Hurricanes (2011–’12), and the Jacksonville Jaguars (2013–’14). Not only does he bring all that experience, but he’s also spent several seasons as a top assistant for Sean McVay (2018–’19) and Bill Belichick (2020). That’s all before we get into his work as a college head coach.
Fisch, age 49, landed his first head-coaching job at Arizona. He walked into a program that went 9–20 under Kevin Sumlin and badly needed a complete reset. He won five games in his first season with the Wildcats and then doubled that win total in 2023. After that success, he was tabbed to replace Kalen DeBoer for a Washington Huskies team that lost most of its top starters. The team still managed six wins, showing real improvement this year while playing Ohio State better than just about anyone in college football. Fisch’s success in college, his track record in the NFL, and his Florida ties should all appeal to the Seminoles.
Brent Key, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key could check off several potential boxes in the Seminoles coaching search. First, he spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach in the state with Central Florida. He worked his way up from a graduate assistant (2005) to offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and run-game coordinator (2014–’15). That success landed him on Nick Saban’s coaching staff as Alabama’s offensive line coach (2016–18), with that résumé eventually landing him at Georgia Tech.
Key was promoted to interim head coach in 2022, following a 10–28 stint by Geoff Collins. Georgia Tech went from looking like one of the worst teams in college football to posting a 4–4 record with Key under the interim tag. In the three seasons since, he’s posted a winning record every year and has ranked wins over Florida State, Clemson, Miami, and North Carolina with a six-OT loss to Georgia. Key is proving to be one of the best college football coaches right now. Up next, he needs a school that can provide him with the recruiting pipelines and NIL support to become a great team.
Manny Diaz, Duke Blue Devils Coach
Several schools across the country (Louisville, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, and Georgia) have alums serving as their head coach. Not only do each of those head coaches know the importance of their school’s traditions and storied histories, but they’re also more likely to stay at those programs as long as they are successful. Florida State can explore that option with Manny Diaz.
Diaz’s tenure as the Miami Hurricanes coach (21-15 record) didn’t go exceptionally well, but it’s not as if he was a total disaster with the program. Regardless, he learned from his mistakes there and spent two seasons learning under James Franklin as the Penn State Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator, orchestrating one of the nation’s top defenses. He then got a second chance as a head coach at Duke, delivering a nine-win season in 2024 and the team is having success once again in 2025.
He’s a great defensive coach who could get the Seminoles’ defense back to its previous heights. In addition, Diaz knows how to recruit in Florida, and he still has strong relationships with high school coaches in the region. Plus, his desire to help his alma mater get back on track could provide that added edge Florida State has been missing.
