Florida State’s administration is between a rock and a hard place.

After the Garnet and Gold went 13-1 in 2023, calls to renew head coach Mike Norvell’s contract heated up, especially with the prospect of other major teams knocking on the door looking to swoop the young coach from Tallahassee.

Then, athletic director Michael Alford made the decision to extend Norvell, which included a ginormous buyout.

No one thought it would get to the point where the school and its boosters are facing a near-$60 million buyout after the team went 2-10 in ’24 and currently sits at 3-4 in ’25.

To make matters worse, FSU is 1-10 in its last 11 conference matchups, but boasts a headscratching win over Alabama in Week 1.

READ MORE: FSU athletic director makes stunning statement on Mike Norvell’s future

Former FSU quarterback Danny Kanell made his feelings known after AD Alford released a statement on Monday declaring that Norvell would be staying through at least the end of the season.

Danny Kanell

Aug 28 1993; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; FILE PHOTO; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Danny Kanell (13) in action against the Kansas Jayhawks at the Kick-off Classic at Giants Stadium. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-Imagn Images / RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Why hasn’t Mike Norvell been fired yet? pic.twitter.com/7sIot4G22n

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) October 20, 2025

“This to me, tells me they don’t have the money right now, and I think everybody knows that. So you’re kind of like, what are you waiting on?” Kanell said. “And Bud [Elliot] has said this a couple times, and I wanted to push back on it, but I don’t think there’s any more pushing back. It’s not a matter of if that it’s when.” 

“And I do think, like watching that game unfold, I was like, ‘This is unacceptable’. Like, this is not the latest example of being unacceptable,” Kanell added. “I thought the biggest game of Mike Norvell’s career was the game against Pitt. It was at home. It was a winnable game. You lost that one.”

“Then it was like, ‘Oh, they’re going to Stanford. This is an absolutely must win, you cannot lose this game.’ And they lose it, like, how many more of those games can you go through?”

Finally, the former FSU QB said that winning and losing does not appear to be the reason Norvell’s status as the Seminoles’ head coach remains the same halfway through his sixth season with the team.

“So to your question, I think it’s a financial thing. I think they’re going to try to figure out how to make this work financially, and then somehow, if Florida State can win out, and you’re in a better position then, hey, maybe you look at it, you reevaluate it, and you don’t make a panic move,” Kanell said.

The Florida State Seminoles are off this weekend on a bye. They will face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Nov. 1 in Tallahassee. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

READ MORE: Mike Norvell addresses sideline altercation with FSU football DB Edwin Joseph

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