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Florida State Football Enters 2026 Season at a Major Crossroads
Photo of Mike Norvell courtesy of FSU Athletics
Florida State enters the 2026 season at a major crossroads. The hot seat for Head Coach Mike Norvell is blazing, fans are up in arms, and the administration feels like it is falling further and further behind because of FSU’s membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Remember when Florida State was the undefeated regular-season ACC champion, headed to the college football playoffs just before star quarterback Jordan Travis broke his leg? Seems like eons ago for a Florida State team that won two games in 2024 and five games last season.
Still, Head Coach Mike Norvell walks into the season optimistic. “We’ve got an exciting team,” Norvell said during ACC media days, adding that the team played 19 true freshmen last year. Norvell still understands his job is on the line. “We understand the expectations here,” he said.
To try to improve, the Seminoles will turn to transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels, who comes in after uninspiring stints at Stanford and Auburn. Now a senior, Daniels hopes to put the past behind him. “Early on in my career and even early on in the spring, I struggled a little bit just finding that confidence and, you know, finding that confidence within my teammates, finding that confidence within myself,” he said. Daniels knows there are questions about his ability to lead his team but isn’t listening. “When I’m not worrying about all the external things and all the outside noise and the external distractions, I think I’m able to pour into my teammates, pour into this team everything that I have.”
The Seminoles have a lot of talent for Daniels to throw to, including one of the top returning receivers in the nation in Duce Robinson. Micahi Danzy is also a proven vet, and FSU does have young talent behind the starters. For its running game, the Noles will look to Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner to lead the way, but sophomore Ousmane Kromah should be considered at least a co-starter, if not a candidate to get the lion’s share of the carries. FSU was one of the best teams in the nation in 2025 running the football but may not equal those numbers with offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn retired.
On the defensive side, the Seminoles bring back four of their top six defensive linemen from last year, but you will not see a depth chart from Coach Mike Norvell that is ironclad. “Depth charts to me are whatever they are, and I don’t see ultimately a great value in putting one out,” he said. It starts up front for Norvell’s defense: “There will be a big emphasis on stopping the run.”
The linebacking corps and the defensive backfield have experienced returning players, but there will still be a lot of change at Florida State. Adding together transfers and freshmen, the Seminoles will have 62 newcomers. Norvell admits time has been spent in camp just making sure players know where to line up but adds “I like where we are trending.”
Florida State’s schedule is brutal. In week two, they host SMU, a team expected to finish near the top of the ACC, and then visit Alabama just two weeks later. How the season goes may be determined by a three-week stretch in October, when they travel to Louisville and Miami before a week off, followed by facing Clemson at home. If the team is .500 or below after that stretch, Norvell could be doomed. He knows the pressure, saying “Words don’t matter; it’s about the action” at ACC media days.
But Norvell keeps a positive attitude and exterior going into this make-or-break season. “I’ve been really pleased with this football team. Just their mindset and the production, the growth… for me success is fulfilled potential. I believe in the potential of this team.”
FSU FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Aug 29 vs New Mexico State
Sept 7 vs SMU
Sept 19 at Alabama
Sept 26 vs Central Arkansas
Oct 3 vs Virginia
Oct 9 at Louisville
Oct 17 at Miami
Oct 31 vs Clemson
Nov 7 at Boston College
Nov 13 at Pittsburgh
Nov 21 vs NC State
Nov 27 vs Florida
