FSU football coaching search might not end this week

Florida State’s coaching search might not end this week after all.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported Tuesday morning that the Seminoles don’t expect to make an announcement before the weekend. The logical reason why that might be the case is if FSU’s top remaining candidate is still coaching for a conference title this weekend. The name I’ve heard the most who fits that bill is Memphis’ Mike Norvell, who faces Cincinnati in Saturday’s AAC championship.

It’s worth noting, too, that Football Scoop hinted at the possibility of Norvell at FSU yesterday.

The Clemson coordinators — Brent Venables, Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott — are also coaching Saturday for the ACC title. Those were names that got some buzz early in the process but haven’t come up much lately.

Another potential factor here is what might have happened with other FSU targets. The Athletic’s Andy Staples seemed to douse some water on the buzz that Penn State’s James Franklin could end up in Tallahassee. Iowa State’s 247Sports site reported Monday evening that Cyclones coach Matt Campbell was “adamant” in a team meeting that he wasn’t leaving Ames.

And if you’re still on the Bob Stoops watch, he’s welcoming players from his XFL Dallas Renegades to minicamp, which starts tomorrow.

If Campbell and Franklin are off the board, then FSU is running out of quality candidates who could start immediately. There are, however, some potential ones who might be able to start next week.