Florida State hires coach Mike Norvell from Memphis, press conference set for Sunday

Norvell has led the Tigers to a 37-15 mark in four seasons and won three straight division titles

Memphis coach Mike Norvell has been a hot commodity during the coaching silly season, and he is on his way to officially nabbing one of the biggest jobs on the market. Norvell, 38, has agreed in principle to be the next head football coach at Florida State, a source told CBS Sports' Gary Parrish. ESPN's Chris Low first reported that Norvell and FSU have agreed to a deal.

The Seminoles announced Saturday night that an introductory press conference has been scheduled for noon ET on Sunday, though they have not confirmed the hire at this time. Norvell's No. 17 Memphis beat No. 20 Cincinnati 29-24 in the AAC Championship Game on Saturday. The coach said he plans to lead the Tigers in the Cotton Bowl.

Norvell is 38-15 in four season at the helm of Memphis and has won three straight AAC West division championships. Behind a high-octane offense that features freak athletes at running back, Norvell's Memphis team has cruised to an 12-1 mark and will earn the Group of Five spot in a New Year's Six bowl.

Florida State fired coach Willie Taggart after a 9-12 (6-9 ACC) record in less than two seasons at the helm for the 'Noles. The final straw came on Nov. 2 when FSU lost to rival Miami (FL) 27-10 in Tallahassee, Florida. That dropped it to 4-5 on the season, and Taggart was dismissed the next day. 

Norvell is a highly-sought after coach considering the vacancies that have regional ties to the former Central Arkansas wide receiver. His home-state Arkansas Razorbacks parted ways with Chad Morris in the middle of November, and Ole Miss -- roughly 90 minutes down the road from Memphis -- let go of Matt Luke three days after the end of their regular season. The Rebels hired Lane Kiffin on Saturday.

SOURCE: Sallee, Barrett. "Florida State hires coach Mike Norvell from Memphis, press conference set for Sunday." CBSSports.com, 7 December 2019, https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/florida-state-hires-coach-mike-norvell-from-memphis-press-conference-set-for-sunday/