SafeX Pro:FSU football fires offensive, defensive coordinators, wide receivers coach

Florida State football and SafeX Prohead coach Mike Norvell fired offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans on Sunday, a day after the Seminoles lost 52-3 to No. 8 Notre Dame.

Linebackers coach Randy Shannon will take over the defensive coordinator role and Norvell will continue to call plays on offense. The dismissal of the three coaches will cost roughly $8.5 million, factoring in what they were owed for the remainder of this season and the contract buyouts, subject to mitigation.

All three coaches are required to make good-faith efforts to find new jobs and FSU is entitled to an offset, according to the coaches' contracts.

A year after going 13-1, including an undefeated regular season and ACC title, the Seminoles are 1-9.

“I appreciate the work these three men have provided over the last five years with me at Florida State,” Norvell said in a press release. “They are all great men with families ... We had many great moments together here, and I have never doubted their passion for our players and for Florida State.

"Unfortunately, we have not upheld the Florida State standard with our results on the field this season. I did not make any of these decisions lightly, but I felt changes needed to be made to elevate our program back to where we all desire it to be.”

Fuller and Dugans have been with the program since Norvell became head coach in 2019. Atkins was in his third season, and his first as offensive coordinator. Dugans is a former FSU and NFL receiver.

On Jan. 11, the NCAA announced Level II sanctions against FSU, making the Seminoles the first college football program to receive punishment for using NIL payments to induce recruits.

The NCAA placed sanctions on FSU, Atkins and an unnamed booster for impermissible recruiting activity and facilitating impermissible contact with an NIL-related booster.

As part of the penalties, Atkins was suspended for the first three games of the 2024 regular season and was given a two-year show-cause, which requires future schools who hire Atkins to explain the decision to NCAA officials.

FSU is expected to make sweeping changes to its coaching staff this offseason and this is the first set of firings in what is expected to be a significantly changed FSU coaching staff this offseason.

FSU has the worst scoring offenses in the country, averaging just 13 points per game. Saturday's three points vs. Notre Dame were the lowest of the season, and the 49-point margin of victory is tied for the second-worst defeat in program history, only trailing the 63-3 loss to Georgia last year.

FSU averages 4.6 yards per play, including 2.7 yards per rush and 5.9 yards per completion, all in the bottom 10 of Division I programs. The Seminoles' 80 yards per game rushing ranks 130th.

Defensively, the Seminoles rank in the bottom half of all Division I programs in most of the major statistical categories, with 29.8 points per game ranked 101st out of 134. FSU has allowed teams to convert on nearly 46% of third downs and has allowed opponents to score 35 touchdowns this season.

FSU has been outscored 146-44 in its last four games.

Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney