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Who is Mike Norvell? 5 things to know about the Memphis coach
Who is Mike Norvell? 5 things to know about the Memphis coach
Mike Norvell's name has been reported as a candidate for vacancies at Ole Miss and Florida State but he said his focus is on AAC Championship Game Evan Barnes, The Commercial Appeal
OXFORD — The Ole Miss coaching search is in full swing, and there are rumors swirling around everywhere about candidates from across college football.
One such candidate is Memphis coach Mike Norvell. In four years as Memphis' head coach, Norvell's teams have won eight games each year and Norvell has led Memphis to the AAC Championship three times in a row.
But who is Mike Norvell? Here are five things to know about the coach:
1. Mike Norvell has made his short career count
Norvell is only 38 years old but has made a quick impression in the college football world. Norvell got his first Power 5 offensive coordinator job when he was 31 years old, leading the offense at Arizona State. Norvell was 35 when he was hired to be Memphis’ head coach in 2015. Norvell is younger than Louisiana's Billy Napier, Minnesota's P.J. Fleck and Iowa State's Matt Campbell.
2. Mike Norvell offenses have produced
In Norvell’s four years in Memphis, the Tigers have finished in the top 15 in the country in scoring offense four times. In the last three seasons, Norvell’s offenses have averaged more than 40 points per game each year. Counting his four seasons at Arizona State, Norvell’s offenses have averaged 39.8 points per game over the better part of the last decade.
3. Mike Norvell players have NFL pedigree
Since Norvell took over at Memphis, his offensive skill players have had a knack for ending up in the NFL. Wide receiver Anthony Miller was drafted out of Memphis in 2018 by the Chicago Bears and running backs Darrel Henderson and Tony Pollard were both drafted in 2019. While at Arizona State, Norvell coached wide receiver Jaelen Strong, who was selected in the 2015 NFL Draft.
4. Mike Norvell is well paid
According to the USA TODAY Sports coaches salaries database, Norvell makes $2.66 million annually. That’s the third-biggest contract of any Group of Five head coach for 2019, behind South Florida’s Charlie Strong and Houston’s Dana Holgorsen. By comparison, former Ole Miss coach Matt Luke made $3.1 million in 2019.
5. Mike Norvell is a top candidate
Norvell is a client of college football super-agent Jimmy Sexton, who represents a majority of coaches in the SEC including Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Gus Malzahn and Jimbo Fisher. Norvell’s reach is undeniable, and as such Norvell has been connected to a majority of the high-profile job openings this offseason. In particular, Norvell has been rumored to be a top candidate for Florida State’s job opening. Florida State’s previous two coaches, Fisher and Willie Taggart, are also Sexton clients.
SOURCE: Suss, Nick. "Who is Mike Norvell? 5 things to know about the Memphis coach." Mississippi Clarion Ledger, 5 December 2019,
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
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