Florida State Targets Coaches With 15-5 Records

Jake Dickert holds a 15-5 record over his last two seasons at Wake Forest. That mark places him at the top of the list for Florida State as the university seeks a new head coach to replace Mike Norvell. The search is urgent because the program needs immediate stability to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The transition follows the departure of Norvell, who previously served as head coach in Tallahassee. University leaders are now evaluating candidates who can manage rosters and game plans at the highest level. They are looking for proven head coaches or elite coordinators who can reset the standard for the Seminoles.

Dickert is a strong candidate because he already operates within the ACC. A move to Florida State would provide him with more resources, name, image, and likeness backing, and recruiting pull than his current position in Winston-Salem offers. Jimbo Fisher is another name tied to the search. The former national championship-winning coach has spoken with donors to understand current NIL structures and transfer portal dynamics. A return to Tallahassee would reunite him with a program where he previously won a title.

Other head coaching targets include Manny Diaz, a Florida State alumnus who recently led Duke to an ACC title. Diaz spent time as Penn State’s defensive coordinator before taking over at Duke. Deion Sanders, a Seminole legend, remains a candidate despite recent hurdles at Colorado involving the loss of top-tier NFL talent. Jason Eck is also under consideration after demonstrating success with limited resources at Idaho and New Mexico. Kenny Dillingham, who served as offensive coordinator under Norvell, is a familiar face in Tallahassee. Rhett Lashlee has built SMU into a potent squad using strong NIL infrastructure, though a move away from Dallas would be difficult.

The search also includes high-impact coordinators who are ready for the step up to head coach. Buster Faulkner, who previously ran the offense at Florida after a stint at Georgia Tech, is considered one of the best offensive play-callers in college football. Blake Baker engineered a defensive turnaround at LSU using aggressive schemes and has prior experience in the state as Miami’s defensive coordinator. Shannon Dawson guided a top-tier offense at Miami that blended air-raid concepts with a physical ground attack. Bryant Haines won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top coordinator after crafting a dominant defense at Indiana.

These candidates represent the pool of options for the athletic department in Tallahassee. The evaluation process involves weighing institutional knowledge, recent success, and the ability to leverage modern recruiting tools. Each candidate brings a distinct background, from Dickert’s ACC familiarity to Fisher’s championship history and Diaz’s recent conference title. The university must select a leader who can address roster shortcomings and provide the structural discipline needed for the Seminoles to compete effectively in the coming season.