FSU fires AD Alford as questions loom over football program

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  Andrea AdelsonSep 14, 2026, 09:20 AM ET

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  • ACC reporter.
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2010.
  • Graduate of the University of Florida.

Florida State fired athletic director Michael Alford on Monday, school president Richard McCullough told ESPN.

The move comes as the Seminoles grapple with looming decisions about their football program.

Alford came to Florida State in 2020 to lead its fundraising arm, Seminole Boosters. Less than two years later, he was hired as athletics director at a time when Florida State faced looming financial shortfalls and had a football program that had underachieved.

Since 2022, total athletics revenue has grown 31.5 percent, the largest increase in department history. Conference distributions have also increased 19 percent - thanks to a new revenue distribution model that Alford spearheaded within the ACC. Florida State also invested in its athletics infrastructure, spending over $500 million a new standalone football facility, improvements to Doak Campbell Stadium and other projects.

But football remains problematic. After going 13-0 and winning the ACC in 2023, Florida State did not make the four-team College Football Playoff and got blown out in the Orange Bowl, losing 63-3 to Georgia. Since then, the Seminoles have gone 8-18 and calls to fire coach Mike Norvell have steadily increased.

After going 5-7 last year, the Florida State administration opted to keep Norvell for a seventh season, pledging to make needed structural changes within the program to enhance performance. Norvell hired a general manager and remade his personnel department, and got a football budget in the neighborhood of $30 million. While improved, that budget falls short of the top tier in the country.

At the time, McCullough said in a joint statement with Alford and Board chair Peter Collins, "This decision reflects a unified commitment to competing in the rapidly evolving landscape of college football, while maintaining continuity within the program."

But Florida State lost at home to SMU 27-24 on Labor Day night, and fans chanted, "Fire Norvell" while leaving the stadium. The Seminoles travel to play Alabama on Saturday and face a looming ACC stretch including three ranked teams - Virginia, Louisville and rival Miami.

Beyond the football problems, Florida State had the highest athletic-related debt in the country for the 2025 fiscal year, totaling $437 million thanks to the infrastructure improvements. Those inside the university believe Alford and Norvell underestimated how much spending on football was going to increase following the 2023 season. Alford was initially resistant to spend money above the new revenue share cap when it was enacted in 2025. Discontent within the administration and boosters started to grow until it reached a breaking point.