If DL was waiting this is his chance to grab him for OC.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7611650/2026/11/01/mike-norvell-fired-fsu-florida-state-football-buyout/

If Dan thinks he's the guy, get him here ASAP. Sit him right beside "the OC" during games, let him get acquainted with the players now for retention and recruits for recruiting.

FSU never recovered from being left out of the playoffs after a perfect 2023 season. One of the biggest injustices of the modern era. They beat everyone in front of them and were passed over, because Texas beat Alabama in Week 2.

Mike Norvell’s firing gives Oregon a dream offensive coordinator candidate

Florida State’s decision to fire Mike Norvell may clear up Oregon’s OC search

While interim playcaller Jay Johnson made quite the first impression in the Ducks’ win over Northwestern, it still seems like Dan Lanning will evaluate all options in the offseason. Among the many options the Ducks should consider is hiring Mike Norvell as the next offensive coordinator.

Mike Norvell could be a candidate for plenty of Group of 6 head coaching gigs, but if he’s interested in taking a step back and rebuilding his status, joining Oregon makes a ton of sense.

Autzen Zoo

Mike Norvell’s firing gives Oregon a dream offensive coor...

The college football coaching carousel has started spinning over the past few weeks, and after some embarrassing and bad losses on Saturday, it was only a matte

1 hour ago, mikethehiker said:

FSU never recovered from being left out of the playoffs after a perfect 2023 season. One of the biggest injustices of the modern era. They beat everyone in front of them and were passed over, because Texas beat Alabama in Week 2.

I believe losing their QB to injury was a big part of being left out. Not saying I agree with the decision.

37 minutes ago, NJDuck said:

While interim playcaller Jay Johnson made quite the first impression in the Ducks’ win over Northwestern, it still seems like Dan Lanning will evaluate all options in the offseason.

Lanning better look outside the program.

Johnson did well for us but is not the long term solution. Johnson was effectively a defibrillator paddle on the Ducks offense and gave it some life but don't forget that in it's current state this offense still has cancer and needs some serious work.

Yeah. There’s no way it’s gonna be Johnson. If that experiment didn’t work perfectly, Lanning would probably end up on the hot seat. He has to go get a proven coach.

1 minute ago, GeotechDuck said:

Yeah. There’s no way it’s gonna be Johnson. If that experiment didn’t work perfectly, Lanning would probably end up on the hot seat. He has to go get a proven coach.

Pretty sure he has a gold platted memo about this on his desk with the initials PK at the bottom.

3 minutes ago, The Kamikaze Kid said:

Pretty sure he has a gold platted memo about this on his desk with the initials PK at the bottom.

I sure hope so!!

Lanning was an inside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator (2016–17) at Memphis when Norvell was the head coach of the Tigers.

For Norvell, the Oregon job would offer him a chance to coach at a program with vast resources. He could focus on the offense while providing Lanning experience on the coaching staff.

There are questions about Norvell's ability to develop quarterbacks. It wouldn't be a slam-dunk hire, but it's something for Oregon to consider.

They also coached together for a season at Pitt, and 2 seasons at Arizona State.

Norvell at Memphis 2016-19 and Florida State 2020-26, he should know something about recruiting in the Southeast.

Lanning left Memphis (and Norvell) to be an assistant at Georgia 2018-22.

Lanning is 40, Norvell is 45.

In addition to FSU, there are now head coach openings at Baylor, NC State and Maryland.

34 minutes ago, HDuck said:

There are questions about Norvell's ability to develop quarterbacks. It wouldn't be a slam-dunk hire, but it's something for Oregon to consider.

They also coached together for a season at Pitt, and 2 seasons at Arizona State.

As HC how much did he directly coach the QBs at FSU?

How much does any HC directly coach any position? I'm not saying it doesn't happen but I doubt Norvell was in the QB room for the entire duration of every meeting.

Norvell staring QBs have been transfers:

Memphis

2016 – Riley Ferguson a JC transfer to Memphis

2017 – Riley Ferguson

2018 – Brady White

2019 -  Brady White

Florida State

2020 – committee

2021 – Jordan Travis

2022 – Jordan Travis

2023 – Jordan Travis

2024 – DJ Uiagalelei

2025 – Tommy Castellanos

2026 – Ashton Daniels

White transferred from Ariz State to Memphis, played well and racked up stats, but was undrafted.  Played a bit in USFL.  He then became an asst for Kenny Dillingham at ASU, and this current season is on the FSU staff for Norvell.

Travis was the QB for undefeated FSU team who was injured in the 11^th game and the CFP Committee used that as the reason to deny 13-0 FSU a CFP slot.  He transferred from Louisville to Florida State.

Uiagalelei played 3 years at Clemson, 1 year at Oregon State, then just 5 games at FSU.

Castellanos went from UCF, to Boston College, to Florida State, and is now at Tex Tech.  He played 12 games at FSU including an upset of Alabama, but FSU was just 5-7 in 2025.  He started his first game for Tex Tech yesterday – a 34-26 win over Arizona.

Daniels went from Stanford to Auburn to Florida State.

42 minutes ago, David Marsh said:

As HC how much did he directly coach the QBs at FSU?

How much does any HC directly coach any position? I'm not saying it doesn't happen but I doubt Norvell was in the QB room for the entire duration of every meeting.

Austin Tucker was the QB coach at FSU. He has quite the resume even though he played receiver in college.

Austin Tucker - Quarterbacks Coach - Football Coaches - Florida State University

This needs to be a process, Lanning shouldn't make any decisions until about a month or more from now. He needs to evaluate what he wants as his offensive identity and then find the best person for the job. That might be Norvell, but they shouldn't be in any hurry to make a decision in the next few weeks.

3 hours ago, mikethehiker said:

FSU never recovered from being left out of the playoffs after a perfect 2023 season. One of the biggest injustices of the modern era. They beat everyone in front of them and were passed over, because Texas beat Alabama in Week 2.

And they would have got stomped. The committee did them Justice. As Georgia clearly demonstrated.

20 minutes ago, Mike West said:

And they would have got stomped. The committee did them Justice. As Georgia clearly demonstrated.

Probably correct, Mike. But without QB Jordan Travis, FSU did win the ACC Championship Game, defeating Louisville 16-6 to go 13-0.

With the disappointment of being bounced in favor of Alabama, many of FSU's draft-eligible players, especially on defense, sat out the bowl game. Both FSU and Georgia would have been in a 12-team PO field.

I recall Greg Sankey making a fool of himself lobbying for Bama, and Kirby Smart bemoaning the circumstances that led to the bowl beatdown of FSU.

Alabama did give champion Michigan a battle in the Rose Bowl semifinal, which Michigan won in OT.

Jimbo back with the Seminoles? Perhaps Jimbo can come up with some of the $51 million owed Norvell?

On3

Florida State Head Coach Hot Board: Top candidates to rep...

https://youtu.be/byHBatuhTgk Florida State fired head coach Mike Norvell on Sunday, ending his seven-season tenure in Tallahassee. Florida State lost to

6 hours ago, mikethehiker said:

FSU never recovered from being left out of the playoffs after a perfect 2023 season. One of the biggest injustices of the modern era. They beat everyone in front of them and were passed over, because Texas beat Alabama in Week 2.

And losing 63-3 to Georgia in the Orange Bowl was the icing on the cake!

2 hours ago, Jon Joseph said:

Probably correct, Mike. But without QB Jordan Travis, FSU did win the ACC Championship Game, defeating Louisville 16-6 to go 13-0.

With the disappointment of being bounced in favor of Alabama, many of FSU's draft-eligible players, especially on defense, sat out the bowl game. Both FSU and Georgia would have been in a 12-team PO field.

I recall Greg Sankey making a fool of himself lobbying for Bama, and Kirby Smart bemoaning the circumstances that led to the bowl beatdown of FSU.

Alabama did give champion Michigan a battle in the Rose Bowl semifinal, which Michigan won in OT.

Florida State was very good that year. It was their offense that would have been the difference. Scoring 16 against a middle tier Louisville was all the committee needed to see. The Seminoles wouldn't stand a chance against a good defense like Michigan's, and the Wolverines would have worn them down and stomped them. And even if those great players faced Georgia, Kirby had a message about whining. He delivered it poetically too. Florida State getting in based on merit is a nice narrative. They were no longer the team that rose to 11-0 before the injury.

It also explains why Miami got in last year instead of Texas, who despite playing poorly plaid a much tougher schedule and survived. Not to mention playing Ohio State to open the season instead of Marist High School (local in Eugene). Miami lost to two unranked opponents and got in based on their September performance, and playing well in November. Florida State was limping into a title game they had trouble even controlling. It would have been embarrassing and unjustified to watch a limping Florida State take a position from a team that truly had a shot at the title.

Remember-they got away with this by saying the best four. Florida State was not the 4th best team at the end of 2023. And it was fitting. Being humiliated exposed the program. If they were legit, it would have shown up the following year. Instead, the spiral has exposed Florida State is suffering as much as a bunch of SEC teams that no longer can stockpile talent. Norvell revived their QB's career-which unfortunately ended in Tallahassee. But the whining was more telling-they disintegrated. They disappeared as a program. The fan base surely didn't help (um hmm......).

Edited 13 hours ago13 hr by Mike West

5 minutes ago, Mike West said:

Florida State was very good that year. It was their offense that would have been the difference. Scoring 16 against a middle tier Louisville was all the committee needed to see. The Seminoles wouldn't stand a chance against a good defense like Michigan's, and the Wolverines would have worn them down and stomped them. And even if those great players faced Georgia, Kirby had a message about whining. He delivered it poetically too. Florida State getting in based on merit is a nice narrative. They were no longer the team that rose to 11-0 before the injury.

It also explains why Miami got in last year instead of Texas, who despite playing poorly plaid a much tougher schedule and survived. Not to mention playing Ohio State to open the season instead of Marist High School (local in Eugene). Miami lost to two unranked opponents and got in based on their September performance, and playing well in November. Florida State was limping into a title game they had trouble even controlling. It would have been embarrassing and unjustified to watch a limping Florida State take a position from a team that truly had a shot at the title.

Remember-they got away with this by saying the best four. Florida State was not the 4th best team at the end of 2023.

IMHO, it shouldn’t matter what anyone thinks would have happened. They had a great defense and would have had another month of prep to improve their offense.

They were robbed by not one, but two one loss teams. The committee played politics with the SEC which should have been the fourth team, but Texas beat Alabama on the road in Week 2, so they had to keep Big12 Texas above Alabama, when Texas should have been left out.

When you lose, you lose control of your destiny. But when you beat everyone in front of you in the old Power 5, it’s an injustice to everyone in that program to have a playoff opportunity stolen from you. They all checked out before that bowl game. I would have, too.

Georgia might have been the best team that year. I have no idea why they laid an egg against Alabama.

So, the question becomes, would Norvell be a great choice for the Ducks or should we go back to the proven formula of a bright up and coming young coordinator.

One thing I am hoping for is someone who is willing to have the QB run some (not our leading rusher like Northwestern) and goes after QBs who can do that.

Looking at our three losses and the Northwestern win too, QBs who can pass and run have killed us. That used to be an Oregon staple, not so much anymore. I'm ready to see it come back. The RPO is the offense of the present and maybe the future (we'll see how defenses adjust).

Not sure why Norvell would be such a good selection? Does he have any better offensive touch than some of the young successful OC's?

A veteran… former HC…Lanning needs somebody who has been in the trenches. From a distance he needs balance. Saban and Lane, Saban and Sark. Right now Lincoln Riley and Gary Patterson might work out. If Venables is let go at Oklahoma I would look at him as a DC. I think this is a staff

remake to get to the next level.

I assume most head coaches keep a Rolodex (digital) of guys they have coached with, met at camps, met at coaches conventions, watched on tape, heard about, etc. Though, I think Chip was in Gary Crowton's Rolodex, not Bellotti's.

I hope Lanning takes a bit of time (as needed subject to December signings) to really look around at offensive systems, QB nurturing, and success.

While my gut reaction is to find someone with gray whiskers, I also think there is potential in a broader look under the rocks. The OC at Arizona? The OC at Wake Forest? Maybe not guys who are currently on the lips of pundits, but have shown they might be breakout coordinators at a program with more resources. Those two are examples, not a full list. Though there is something to be said for the gray whiskers types who have seen years of opponent adjustments and know how to counter it.