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Florida State football has closed the door on the offseason as the first of 18 preseason practices for the program start Wednesday at the Dunlap football facility.
The Seminoles enter year seven under head coach Mike Norvell, who spent half an hour previewing the 2026 iteration of his program in his annual preseason luncheon. Pressure is high on Norvell, who has a 7-17 record and no road wins in the last two seasons, but the under-fire coach remains optimistic about the upcoming season.
FSU concluded its summer workouts on July 23, and Norvell hopes to carry over the momentum as the Seminoles put the pads on.
"It's been a good summer," Norvell said. "Guys finished it up well last week, just once again proud of the work they put in, ready to get started"
One of the players that Norvell is high on is redshirt senior quarterback Ashton Daniels, who was named the starter after a brief spring competition with redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry.
Norvell has consistently sung the praises of Daniels throughout the offseason, and he's seen a newfound confidence emerge in the Auburn transfer signal-caller.
"I've been really pleased with just his mindset and seeing his confidence in what we're asking him to do, seeing his confidence in what he knows he can do and how that's really spread throughout our football team," Norvell said. "You can talk about an individual, you can say, 'Hey, I think he's going to be this, I think he's going to be that to a team, to guys in a locker room, but when he shows up, and he goes, and he does it. That's where it becomes his."
Daniels will need a career year to help push the Seminoles program in the direction it wants to go. He was limited to four appearances for Auburn last season, starting three, and he threw for 797 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions while adding 280 rushing yards and a pair of scores.
He showed flashes of high-level quarterback play, particularly against Vanderbilt, where he spun 353 passing yards and two touchdowns alongside 89 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. That's the version Norvell and staff want to see show up regularly, and the feeling around the program is Daniels will step up with the talent around him.
"He definitely has the right edge and the things that I want to see from him, and really all players on our team, just to go prove and show all of who they are," Norvell said. "He doesn't need to come and work to be anything different, but I truly believe if he'll just continue to grow, he's going to put himself in a position to have a tremendous year"
The Seminoles' mindset was frequently pointed to as a positive by Norvell when asked what he liked about his group. While it's not possible to measure how a resolute mindset translates to success on the football field, Norvell is confident his team can pull off a bounce-back year.
"I think we really have added a great group of young men - the right mindset, the right approach, you put in an incredible amount of work to put ourselves in position to get started here in fall camp, and we've got a lot of work in front of us in our preparation to play in the Week 0 game," Norvell said.
"This team, they've done everything that we've asked them to do up to this point."
The Seminoles haven't won on the road in two seasons, and are 3-13 in conference play during that time, so the mindset Norvell consistently praised needs to produce quantifiable results on the field. There are confident and talented figures on the roster, like wide receiver Duce Robinson, defensive back Ashlynd Barker, and linebacker Chris Jones, among others.
Those will be the players that Norvell leans on if the Seminoles are going to turn things around.
The Seminoles rebuilt the offensive line primarily through the transfer portal for a second straight season, with offensive line coach Herb Hand trusted to maximize the unit.
Despite the overhaul, Norvell feels more confident in his offensive line than he did entering last season.
"Going into this, this fall camp, I feel a lot better now than where maybe I felt a year ago just within thecohesiveness of a group because of the reps," Norvell said.
"I think going into last year, Luke (Petitbon) might have been one of the few guys that actually had a full spring of work and we had all those guys that came in as well as the guys that were returning, you've seen the 15 practices, how they were able to really just merge together in the communication, understanding the techniques and some of the finer details of what Coach (Herb) Hand and what this offense is gonna ask of them."
Among the new faces, offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin and likely starting center Bradyn Welch-Joiner are two of the biggest additions, both in skill and size. Chaplin stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 346 pounds, and Welch-Joiner comes in at 6-foot-2 and 327 pounds, and both players have thousands of snaps under their belt.
Both transfers will be key to the offensive line's success, but so will redshirt junior André Otto. The 6-foot-5, 318-pounder has been with the program for three seasons, appearing in 18 games and starting twice, and is likely in line for consistent starting reps this season.
"I've been pleased with André Otto, a guy up front, has had an incredible offseason, and he's played in games for us, he's shown the ability and potential, but seeing him really take another step is a guy that I've been really pleased with," Norvell said.
On the other side of the trenches, the Seminoles' defensive line is a position group of intrigue. The return of the Desir twins, Darryll and Mandrell, alongside the development of defensive tackles Kevin Wynn and Daniel Lyons provided a boost.
But the line overall is a smaller, more explosive unit. The team doesn't have the body type of past players like Darrell Jackson, Joshua Farmer and Fabian Lovett, among others.
Despite that, Norvell sees that as an opportunity for defensive coordinator Tony White to scheme up unique pressure and allow his players to use their athleticism.
"This would be a group that we want to attack; we want to be able to create disruption up front. We feel like we've got a really good group of guys that not only can penetrate but also have the playmaking ability to enforce that on the opposing line of scrimmage," Norvell said.
"It really fits well and the versatility of where guys can line up, what they can do, and the things that Tony's going to be able to do with them is going to be a, is gonna be a really good, a really good fit for this defense."
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: What we learned about FSU football from Mike Norvell's preseason press conference
Continue reading...
The Seminoles enter year seven under head coach Mike Norvell, who spent half an hour previewing the 2026 iteration of his program in his annual preseason luncheon. Pressure is high on Norvell, who has a 7-17 record and no road wins in the last two seasons, but the under-fire coach remains optimistic about the upcoming season.
FSU concluded its summer workouts on July 23, and Norvell hopes to carry over the momentum as the Seminoles put the pads on.
"It's been a good summer," Norvell said. "Guys finished it up well last week, just once again proud of the work they put in, ready to get started"
Ashton Daniels is taking the reins of the offense
One of the players that Norvell is high on is redshirt senior quarterback Ashton Daniels, who was named the starter after a brief spring competition with redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry.
Norvell has consistently sung the praises of Daniels throughout the offseason, and he's seen a newfound confidence emerge in the Auburn transfer signal-caller.
"I've been really pleased with just his mindset and seeing his confidence in what we're asking him to do, seeing his confidence in what he knows he can do and how that's really spread throughout our football team," Norvell said. "You can talk about an individual, you can say, 'Hey, I think he's going to be this, I think he's going to be that to a team, to guys in a locker room, but when he shows up, and he goes, and he does it. That's where it becomes his."
Daniels will need a career year to help push the Seminoles program in the direction it wants to go. He was limited to four appearances for Auburn last season, starting three, and he threw for 797 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions while adding 280 rushing yards and a pair of scores.
He showed flashes of high-level quarterback play, particularly against Vanderbilt, where he spun 353 passing yards and two touchdowns alongside 89 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. That's the version Norvell and staff want to see show up regularly, and the feeling around the program is Daniels will step up with the talent around him.
"He definitely has the right edge and the things that I want to see from him, and really all players on our team, just to go prove and show all of who they are," Norvell said. "He doesn't need to come and work to be anything different, but I truly believe if he'll just continue to grow, he's going to put himself in a position to have a tremendous year"
FSU coaching staff likes the team's mindset; will it result in wins?
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The Seminoles' mindset was frequently pointed to as a positive by Norvell when asked what he liked about his group. While it's not possible to measure how a resolute mindset translates to success on the football field, Norvell is confident his team can pull off a bounce-back year.
"I think we really have added a great group of young men - the right mindset, the right approach, you put in an incredible amount of work to put ourselves in position to get started here in fall camp, and we've got a lot of work in front of us in our preparation to play in the Week 0 game," Norvell said.
"This team, they've done everything that we've asked them to do up to this point."
The Seminoles haven't won on the road in two seasons, and are 3-13 in conference play during that time, so the mindset Norvell consistently praised needs to produce quantifiable results on the field. There are confident and talented figures on the roster, like wide receiver Duce Robinson, defensive back Ashlynd Barker, and linebacker Chris Jones, among others.
Those will be the players that Norvell leans on if the Seminoles are going to turn things around.
Mike Norvell bullish on offensive line development
The Seminoles rebuilt the offensive line primarily through the transfer portal for a second straight season, with offensive line coach Herb Hand trusted to maximize the unit.
Despite the overhaul, Norvell feels more confident in his offensive line than he did entering last season.
"Going into this, this fall camp, I feel a lot better now than where maybe I felt a year ago just within thecohesiveness of a group because of the reps," Norvell said.
"I think going into last year, Luke (Petitbon) might have been one of the few guys that actually had a full spring of work and we had all those guys that came in as well as the guys that were returning, you've seen the 15 practices, how they were able to really just merge together in the communication, understanding the techniques and some of the finer details of what Coach (Herb) Hand and what this offense is gonna ask of them."
Among the new faces, offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin and likely starting center Bradyn Welch-Joiner are two of the biggest additions, both in skill and size. Chaplin stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 346 pounds, and Welch-Joiner comes in at 6-foot-2 and 327 pounds, and both players have thousands of snaps under their belt.
Both transfers will be key to the offensive line's success, but so will redshirt junior André Otto. The 6-foot-5, 318-pounder has been with the program for three seasons, appearing in 18 games and starting twice, and is likely in line for consistent starting reps this season.
"I've been pleased with André Otto, a guy up front, has had an incredible offseason, and he's played in games for us, he's shown the ability and potential, but seeing him really take another step is a guy that I've been really pleased with," Norvell said.
FSU football betting on "explosive" defensive line
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On the other side of the trenches, the Seminoles' defensive line is a position group of intrigue. The return of the Desir twins, Darryll and Mandrell, alongside the development of defensive tackles Kevin Wynn and Daniel Lyons provided a boost.
But the line overall is a smaller, more explosive unit. The team doesn't have the body type of past players like Darrell Jackson, Joshua Farmer and Fabian Lovett, among others.
Despite that, Norvell sees that as an opportunity for defensive coordinator Tony White to scheme up unique pressure and allow his players to use their athleticism.
"This would be a group that we want to attack; we want to be able to create disruption up front. We feel like we've got a really good group of guys that not only can penetrate but also have the playmaking ability to enforce that on the opposing line of scrimmage," Norvell said.
"It really fits well and the versatility of where guys can line up, what they can do, and the things that Tony's going to be able to do with them is going to be a, is gonna be a really good, a really good fit for this defense."
Florida State football schedule 2026
- vs. New Mexico State | Aug. 29
- vs. SMU* | Sept. 7
- Bye
- at Alabama | Sept. 19
- vs. Central Arkansas | Sept. 26
- vs. Virginia* | Oct. 3
- at Louisville* | Oct. 9
- at Miami* | Oct. 17
- Bye
- vs. Clemson* | Oct. 31
- at Boston College* | Nov. 7
- at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13
- vs. NC State* | Nov. 21
- vs. Florida | Nov. 27
FSU football 2027 recruiting class
- Ta'Shawn Poole, S, 4-star, Howard (Macon, Georgia)
- Sean Green, WR, 4-star, Camden County (Kingsland, Georgia)
- Meshi Dobson, edge, 4-star, Cypress Bay (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
- Za'Kari Johnson, DB, 4-star, Miami Carol City (Miami, Florida)
- Sam LeJeune, DL, 4-star, Poplarville (Poplarville, Mississippi)
- Jayden Miles, RB, 4-star, Baton Rouge Catholic (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
- Jernard Albright, LB, 3-star, Effingham County (Springfield, Georgia)
- Majay Thompson, WR, 3-star, Crest (Shelby, North Carolina)
- CJ Ohuabunwa, LB, 3-star, Greater Atlanta Christian School (Atlanta, Georgia)
- Jaxon Holly, edge, 3-star, Roswell (Roswell, Georgia)
- Olrick Johnson III, LB, 3-star, Harrison (Kennesaw, Georgia)
- Eric Vaulx, DL, 3-star, Lake Cormorant (Lake Cormorant, Mississippi)
- Anthony Cavallaro, Edge, 3-star, Indian Rocks Christian School (Largo, FL)
- Jemari Forman, S, 3-star, Cypress Bay (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- Logan Flaherty, QB, 3-star, Port Charlotte (Port Charlotte, FL)
- Connor Winn, TE, 3-star, Bartram Trail (St. Johns, FL)
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: What we learned about FSU football from Mike Norvell's preseason press conference
Continue reading...
