Mike Norvell finally got another win, but it may not matter much anymore. Florida State handled Central Arkansas 34-7 to move to 2-2, yet the pressure around its seventh-year head coach has barely eased. Since the Seminoles’ 13-1 season in 2023, they have gone 9-19 overall and 3-17 in conference play, leaving one expected victory with little power to change the larger conversation.
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And just as Norvell was trying to steady the ship, former Seminoles quarterback Danny Kanell publicly praised another coach as the first call he would make for a head-coaching vacancy.
“If I’m in the market for a head coach this is my first phone call,” Kanell replied to an X post featuring Jake Dickert’s postgame interview on September 27.
Kanell never mentioned Florida State or Norvell, but the timing naturally adds another layer to an already growing coaching conversation. The former Seminoles quarterback was openly praising another head coach just as questions continue to surround the future of the man currently leading his alma mater.
And Dickert has given him plenty of reason to take notice.
Wake Forest went on the road and stunned No. 16 Louisville 30-27 at L&N Stadium, bouncing back immediately from a 33-20 loss to Miami. Dickert made it clear afterward that the response was intentional.
“We talked about having a hard edge coming off the Miami game,” Dickert told the ACC Network. “Our program is built in the dark. You know, so we trained this way. Our guys kept believing. Great job by our coaches.”
The Louisville upset was not an isolated result either. Wake Forest had been picked to finish 16th out of 17 ACC teams ahead of the 2025 season, yet Dickert guided the Demon Deacons to an 8-4 regular season and eventually a 9-4 finish after beating Mississippi State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Those nine victories were the most ever by a first-year head coach at Wake Forest.
His first team also picked up ranked wins over SMU and No. 12 Virginia, further establishing Dickert as a coach capable of getting results against stronger opposition.
That immediate turnaround earned him a long-term contract extension from Wake Forest in December, with ACCSports estimating his annual compensation at approximately $3.5 million, up from the roughly $2.7 million he made at Washington State.
“This commitment ensures that our staff has the stability, resources and support necessary to continue elevating Wake Forest football,” Dickert said when the extension was announced. “I’m proud of this team, our staff and our seniors who built the foundation for this new era, and excited for what’s ahead.”
His Louisville win also carried personal weight. Dickert revealed afterward that his wife Candice’s father had passed away only weeks earlier.
“Everyone thinks coaching is this perfect thing. My heart was with her today,” he said after the game.
For Florida State, however, the larger issue remains Norvell. Fan frustration has already reached the point where a website was launched proposing a $25.5 million crowdfunding effort to offset roughly half of his reported buyout. According to FSU Wire, Norvell would be owed $46.7 million if Florida State fires him before December 1, 2026, while his contract runs through 2031.
None of that means Kanell was publicly campaigning for Dickert to replace Norvell. He never said that. But with Norvell’s future already under heavy scrutiny, a former Florida State quarterback calling Dickert his “first phone call” for a head-coaching vacancy was always going to fuel the conversation.