Mike Norvell Fired by Florida State: Seminoles Make a Leadership Change at 3-5, With Rick Stockstill as Interim

Florida State fired head football coach Mike Norvell on Sunday, ending his tenure after seven seasons in Tallahassee. The move came with the Seminoles at 3-5 this season and, according to The Spun's report, amid a continuous slide in the ACC since the program's undefeated season and playoff snub: Florida State is just 10-23 since that moment, a skid that this fall included three straight losses to Louisville, Miami and Clemson. University president Richard McCullough informed Norvell of the change on Sunday afternoon, and it is effective immediately.

In the university's statement, McCullough said: 'We have made the decision to change the leadership of our football program. We thank Mike Norvell for his commitment and service to Florida State and wish him and his family the very best.' He added: 'We understand the deep passion of Seminole fans and share their high expectations for this program. We are confident in Rick Stockstill's ability to provide steady leadership during this transition.' Stockstill, a member of the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame who was head coach at Middle Tennessee for 18 seasons, was named interim head coach to finish the year.

The national search comes next: 'We will conduct a thorough national search for the program's next leader, someone who embraces Florida State's tradition of championship athletics and our standard of excellence,' McCullough said. For Miami readers, the Tallahassee collapse has a local marker on it - one of the three straight losses in the skid was to the No. 1 Hurricanes in Miami Gardens on October 17, in a season when Miami is 8-0 and Florida State is now looking for a new head coach before the season has even ended.