Alabama's pursuit of a top flip target just got a major boost on Sunday.
Coming off a loss to Clemson at home on Saturday to fall to 3-5 on the season, Florida State finally made the inevitable move of firing 7th-year head coach Mike Norvell:
Florida State University President Richard McCullough informed head football coach Mike Norvell this afternoon that FSU is making a change in the leadership of its football program, effective immediately.
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) November 1, 2026
FSU Athletics Hall of Fame member Rick Stockstill has been named interim… pic.twitter.com/6gmgSYKMGl
After back-to-back seasons of double-digit wins in 2022 and 2023, it has been all downhill for FSU since, save for the upset of Alabama in last season's opener. Since the 13-1 mark in 2023, the Seminoles have gone just 10-22.
Norvell's termination will have serious ramifications for FSU's recruiting class, which could be good news for Alabama in its pursuit of top 2027 flip target, 4-star safety Jernard Albright.
Alabama's pursuit of 4-star safety Jernard Albright gets a boost with FSU firing Mike Norvell
Albright had clearly been exploring his options in recent weeks before Norvell was fired. He's taken two visits to Alabama in the last few weeks, including an official visit to Tuscaloosa for the win over Texas A&M.
Alabama had been turning up the heat in his recruitment the last few weeks, and now might even be the odds-on favorite to land the Springfield, Georgia native.
Albright is a bigger safety at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds and would be a versatile chess piece in Kane Wommack's defensive scheme. There's obviously high interest from both sides for him to have come to Tuscaloosa twice in the month of October.
South Carolina may try to get back involved in Albright's recruitment, too. He is a former Gamecocks commitment. He flipped from Carolina to Florida State during the summer, but he hasn't been back to Columbia this fall. As of right now, the only visits he's taken outside of trips back to Tallahassee have been to Alabama.
Albright might not be the only FSU commitment that Alabama has a chance with down the stretch, either. 3-star WR Majay Thompson, a guy the Tide coveted during the summer before he chose the 'Noles, decommitted from Florida State quickly after the news that Norvell had been let go.
It remains to be seen if Alabama would try to get back involved in his recruitment or not, with two receivers already in tow for the 2027 class with 4-star Osani Gayles and 3-star in-state star Cedrick Simmons.
Regardless of any interest in Thompson, Norvell's termination should set Alabama up in a really good spot for Albright with just over a month before the early signing period begins.
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