FSU Alum and Duke Coach Diaz Among Those to Replace Norvell

In 2023, Florida State coach Mike Norvell led the Seminoles to an undefeated regular season and an ACC championship. However, Florida State was left out of the College Football Playoff.

However, Florida State was left out of the College Football Playoff that season.

The snub heard around the world was the beginning of the end of Norvell’s tenure at Florida State.

Norvell was fired Sunday. He posted five losing seasons during his seven years in Tallahassee. Defensive coordinator Tony White and safeties coach Evan Cooper were also terminated.

Several names on many coaching “short lists” are already being circulated as potential candidates.

One name on every one of those lists is that of Duke head coach Manny Diaz.

Diaz has six years of head coaching experience in the ACC during head coaching stops at Miami (2019-2021) and at Duke since 2024.

In 2025, Diaz led the Blue Devils to an ACC title. Diaz has won 68 percent of his games at Duke with a 24-11 record.

A Florida State graduate, Diaz has been in the coaching profession since 1998.

Diaz was a graduate assistant working with the defense at Florida State under Bobby Bowden, and serving under defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews.

A defensive coach his entire career, Diaz has served as both linebacker and safeties coach and defensive coordinator at several stops.

Diaz coached at NC State, Middle Tennessee State, two stints at Mississippi State, Texas, Louisiana Tech, Miami and Penn State.

As the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach with the Nittany Lions, Diaz coached the Penn State defense to a No. 2 national ranking in 2023.

The Florida State defense is among the worst in college football.

Their epic collapses on the road at Alabama and Louisville, after securing two-touchdown leads, cost the Seminoles victory in both of those contests

In the 36-24 loss to Clemson Saturday, the Seminoles gave up two touchdown passes to Tigers’ quarterback Tait Reynolds, who had thrown just one TD pass all season.

Further, the Seminoles gave up a 79-yard touchdown run by Reynolds to put the game out of reach for Florida State.

That loss was a “defining moment” for Florida State President Richard McCullough, and sealed Norvell’s fate.

McCullough said at his press conference on Sunday that the next coach “has got to be a Florida State” person.

Diaz is a Florida State person. With his experience in the ACC, and his Florida State pedigree, Diaz could be the right man for the job of restoring Florida State football to its former glory.