Florida State fired three assistants Sunday, including two coordinators, as the Seminoles continue their historic slide.
Florida State dismissed offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans a day after a 52-3 loss at Notre Dame.
“I appreciate the work these three men have provided over the last five years with me at Florida State,” head coach Mike Norvell said in a statement. “They are all great men with families who also have poured into our program. 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.”
Atkins and Fuller have both been viewed as potential head-coaching candidates, but both of their units struggled this season. Florida State’s offensive line — Atkins’ position group — regressed mightily from last season. The defense went from top 20 nationally in scoring last season to No. 101 this year. Florida State has given up at least 35 points in three consecutive games.
Atkins is in his fourth season on Florida State’s staff and second as offensive coordinator, though Norvell has remained the primary play caller. Fuller has been with Norvell since before he took over at Florida State in 2020, dating back to their time at Memphis. Dugans is a former Florida State receiver who played for the 1999 national championship team. He has been with the program as wide receivers coach since 2019.
Randy Shannon has been elevated from co-coordinator to defensive coordinator.
Just a year ago, the Seminoles were unbeaten and Norvell and his staff were being lauded for getting a program with national championship pedigree back to an elite level. The Seminoles went 13-0 and won the ACC title but were left out of the four-team College Football Playoff after a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis in November.
Norvell, 43, signed a massive new contract in January as his name popped up as a possible candidate to replace Nick Saban at Alabama. The eight-year deal was worth more than $84 million and puts Florida State on the hook for about a $64 million buyout this year.
Despite much roster turnover, the Seminoles started this season with high expectations and a No. 10 preseason ranking. They lost their first three games, then beat Cal to stop the slide but have not won since — each week the result seemingly getting worse.
FSU is off this week before hosting Charleston Southern and rival Florida to end the season.
(Photo of Alex Atkins: Chris Leduc / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
