Florida State is officially searching for a new head coach after firing Mike Norvell, and the Seminoles have a golden opportunity to find an experienced replacement without spending another fortune.
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo checks just about every box. He's coached in the SEC, worked alongside Kirby Smart, developed quarterbacks, and even has previous head coaching experience. What more could Florida State possibly want?
And if Florida State University president Richard D. McCullough needs references, there are plenty of Georgia fans who would be more than happy to put in a good word. In fact, here are some big reasons Florida State should seriously consider making Bobo its next head coach (Georgia fans can thank us later).
Florida State needs an affordable coach after Norvell's massive buyout
Florida State faces approximately $49 million in financial obligations to Norvell. Bobo makes $2.2 million a year at Georgia, considerably less than Norvell's salary. FSU has already spent a fortune getting rid of one coach, so why break the bank hiring another? If the Seminoles are looking for experience without breaking the bank, Bobo is your man.
Mike Bobo already has Power Four coaching experience
Bobo has been a long-time SEC offensive coordinator at Georgia, South Carolina, and Auburn, and has had five seasons as Colorado State's head coach. He led the Rams to three consecutive bowl appearances. We are generously offering FSU someone who has already learned the difficulties of running his own FBS program, and the resources at FSU (meager as they may be) are considerably more than he had at Colorado State.
Bobo could bring Georgia's championship pedigree to Tallahassee
Bobo has worked under Kirby Smart and coordinated offenses for back-to-back SEC championship teams in 2024 and 2025, as well as serving on staff as an offensive analyst for Georgia's 2022 national championship team. Florida State could use some of that championship experience around the building. Georgia fans, meanwhile, might be willing to personally help him pack his trophies.
FSU would get a coach who knows how recruit players and develop quarterbacks
Bobo's long history as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator can't be denied. His resumé includes decades of experience recruiting and developing offensive talent. Naturally, Georgia fans would hate to deprive Florida State of such a valuable resource. He'd also undoubtedly recruit players who won't quit when things don't necessarily go the way they want.
FSU hiring Mike Bobo would make two fanbases happy for completely different reasons
Florida State gets an experienced coach with SEC connections, and Georgia fans who have criticized Bobo's play-calling since the days of Mark Richt get the fresh start they've wanted. Everyone wins. Well, at least one fanbase definitely thinks so.
Kirby Smart would be off the hook from being pressured to fire Bobo
Not that Kirby Smart cares what fans say, but "poaching" Mike Bobo from Georgia would also allow Florida State to do Smart a massive favor.
Smart has remained fiercely loyal to Bobo despite the constant criticism of Georgia's offense and the growing number of fans calling for a change at offensive coordinator. And while Smart has made it abundantly clear that he isn't going to let outside noise dictate his staffing decisions, there's no denying that the Bobo debate has become an annual headache in Athens.
Florida State could make that headache disappear overnight. Georgia fans get the change they've been begging for, Smart gets to maintain the appearance of his loyalty to Bobo, and Florida State gets an experienced coach.
It's the rare coaching move that could make everyone happy. Well, almost everyone.
Mike Bobo was a key in exposing the fraudulence of Mike Norvell
If there was ever a game that demonstrated what Mike Bobo's offense was capable of, it came in the 2023 Orange Bowl. Georgia dismantled Mike Norvell's previously unbeaten Florida State team in a historic 63-3 beatdown, with Bobo's offense piling up 673 total yards and 42 first-half points.
The 60-point margin was the largest in bowl game history, turning what was supposed to be a showdown between two College Football Playoff snubs into a nationally televised shaming. Sure, Florida State was missing a number of key players who opted out, but that didn't change the exhibition of Georgia doing whatever it wanted offensively.
Norvell had spent the season building a case that his Seminoles belonged among college football's elite. Bobo and the Bulldogs delivered a brutal blow to that image on the field.
In hindsight, that Orange Bowl looks like an early warning of the problems that would eventually degrade Norvell's program. Bobo didn't single-handedly expose Florida State's shortcomings, but his offense delivered the first devastating blow to the perception Norvell had built.
And for a coordinator who has taken his share of criticism, there's something fitting about Bobo playing such a prominent role in one of the most lopsided postseason victories college football has ever seen.
He's all yours, Noles.
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