TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State and football coach Mike Norvell have agreed to terms on what the university called an "enhanced contract," the school announced Friday.

The Seminoles did not release the terms of the deal, but the Associated Press, citing a source with direct knowledge of the deal, confirmed initial reports by Yahoo that the deal is for eight years and more than $10 million per year.

The agreement came as Norvell's name had been mentioned in media reports as a possible replacement at Alabama for Nick Saban, who announced his retirement as the Crimson Tide's coach on Thursday. The Associated Press and ESPN reported Friday night that Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, whose team was the runner-up to Michigan in the national championship game, has signed a deal to take Alabama's job. AP cited a source who spoke on condition of anonymity because neither school had announced DeBoer’s decision. 

"We came to Tallahassee four years ago, and it was a life-changing experience," Norvell said in a statement on seminoles.com. "Knowing the great history, tradition and expectation has guided our staff on a daily basis. It has been an incredible journey these last four years, and I have fallen in love with this program, the university and the people who I get to represent. I am so excited to continue our climb to push Florida State back to the top of college football. We are committed to being our best on and off the field while helping develop our players to be their best in every area of their lives. I am incredibly thankful for the amazing commitment into our student-athletes and staff from President McCullough, AD Alford and the Board of Trustees."

Norvell led the Seminoles (13-1) to an unbeaten regular season in 2023 before they were the first undefeated Power Five conference champion left out of the College Football Playoff, following a season-ending injury to quarterback Jordan Travis.

Since they were not selected for the College Football Playoffs, the Seminoles have faced some adversity. Norvell stood up for his program and expressed how angry he was that the program was left out after becoming the first undefeated team in CFP history to be left out. The program has filed a lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference, challenging the league's grant of rights that ties the program to the ACC.

The Seminoles, who subsequently lost many of their key players to injuries or the NFL Draft before the bowl game, then got crushed by Georgia in the Orange Bowl 63-3. On Thursday, the NCAA announced that a Florida State assistant coach has been suspended for the first three games of the 2024 season for violating recruiting rules by connecting a potential transfer with a representative from a name, image and likeness collective during an official visit. FSU agreed to two years of probation, the loss of a total of five football scholarships over the next two seasons and other restrictions on recruiting, including a reduction of official visits. The school was also fined $5,000.

In four seasons at Florida State, the 42-year-old Norvell has dramatically improved the program and is 31-17, including 23-4 the past two seasons. The Seminoles went 3-6 in his first season as coach, but Norvell worked patiently through the COVID-19 pandemic to steadily rebuild the program.

Despite the lopsided Orange Bowl loss, the Seminoles place sixth in the final Top 25 rankings. Norvell was voted the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year and the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year. He was one of five finalists for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award presented by the Maxwell Football Club and one of 12 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.