All jobs are different. Whether you are coaching at a traditional power like Miami, or at an up-and-comer across FBS, expectations cannot regularly exceed reality. When that is the case, the pressure starts to mount. While Mario Cristobal may have faced some upon taking over at Miami, he has silenced all his doubters of late. As for Mike Norvell at Florida State, he finds himself in bad company.
These are the top 10 college head coaches CBS Sports' Brad Crawford has facing the most pressure.
- Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell
- Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell
- South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer
- Boston College Eagles head coach Bill O'Brien
- Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley
- Baylor Bears head coach Dave Aranda
- Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney
- Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer
- North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick
- Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders
Having Norvell No. 1 with a bullet on Crawford's list is staggering. Crawford cites two-straight sub-.500 seasons for the 'Noles under Norvell's watch as a reason his seat is this hot. Of course, Florida State is not in the best of situations financially, as illustrated by the reported "$437 million in athletics-related debt" the university has accrued. Much of it has to do with the stadium renovations.
While some of these names on Crawford's list feel a bit harsh (Dabo Swinney, Kalen DeBoer, etc.), it is interesting to see Norvell sitting on supposedly a hotter seat than the likes of Shane Beamer, Luke Fickell, or Mike Locksley. It just goes to show how important having the right head coach is at a traditional power. It took some time to get it right under Cristobal, but Miami is thriving under him.
It may be fun for Canes fans to see Norvell at the bottom of the list, but be careful what you wish for...
Miami fans should love seeing FSU HC Mike Norvell on CFB's hottest seat
Let's be real. Miami fans should enjoy Florida State being out of sorts for as long as it can. Once the dollars and cents make sense, the Seminoles could move on from its underperfoming head coach. If and when that does happen, the clock will be reset, much like it is in Gainesville with Jon Sumrall taking over for an ineffective Billy Napier at Florida. Sumrall has won everywhere he has been before.
Although Norvell has never led Florida State to the College Football Playoff, his 2023 ACC Championship team would have easily made the field as a No. 5 seed had a 12-team format existed back then. He also won the Group of Five before during his run at Memphis previously. The guy can coach, or could coach... Right now, he is going to be calling his own plays for Florida State this fall.
In the end, Miami has eclipsed Florida State for a handful of reasons. The Hurricanes have better cash flow across the board. Cristobal has hired two rockstar coordinators in recent years in Shannon Dawson and Corey Hetherman. Miami has had way more success of late in the transfer portal, as well as recruiting infinitely better out of high school. Cristobal is running laps around Norvell in Florida.
That being said, it may only be a matter of time before Florida State pulls the plug on its head coach.