Ashton Daniels praise pouring out of fall camp has FSU's low-cost QB move looking good

With limited resources to spend in the transfer portal, Mike Norvell, along with general manager John Garrett, hitched his wagon to Auburn transfer and former Stanford QB Ashton Daniels to lead his offense in a make-or-break season. 

Garrett, newly hired this offseason, will likely be safe if it doesn’t pan out, but to earn an eighth season in Tallahassee, Norvell doesn’t just need Daniels to be worth the money Florida State spent; he needs to be worth a whole lot more. 

The early returns on that investment seem overwhelmingly positive, as praise for Daniels continues to pour out of fall camp. On Monday, quarterback coach Austin Tucker spoke to the media and raved about his 6-foot-2, 225-pound starter, saying, “I’ve seen growth in Ashton’s game even from Practice 1 to Practice 5.” 

His comments, however, pale in comparison to sophomore defensive back Ma’Khi Jones’ comments from Sunday and sophomore running back Ousmane Kromah’s on Monday. 

QB coach Austin Tucker adds to a chorus of Ashton Daniels praise

Now, what are his teammates going to say? That their new starting QB looks okay and may be a slight upgrade, but not enough to carry the team to the ACC title? You’d never expect that type of measured assessment. Still, this level of effusive praise is a bit unique. Even if you take it with a major grain of salt, it’s better than if negative reports were leaking out. 

Florida State will finally get to its first scrimmage of fall camp on Tuesday. That will be a better litmus test for what Daniels will bring to the Seminoles this season. With him already named the starter, the biggest QB question is simply about how good he looks before the season. Still, even that won’t truly matter once the team takes the field in Week 0 at Doak Campbell against New Mexico State. 

As a big-bodied dual-threat QB with plenty of starts at both Stanford and Auburn, Daniels appears to be a compelling mix of veteran experience and untapped physical potential. He was an obvious and immediate upgrade from the Tigers once he finally replaced Jackson Arnold as QB1, but his turnover-prone past and just one year of eligibility remaining led to a lukewarm market. 

Florida State may be forced to pay about a $50 million buyout to rid itself of Norvell if things don’t pan out this season. So, rather than doubling down to try to save his job with one last-ditch spending spree after back-to-back uninspiring losing seasons, FSU pinched pennies this offseason. 

That was the right play for the Noles because either the Norvell-Garrett combination proves it can return surplus value on cost-effective additions, justifying further investment for 2027. Or Norvell falls flat, and there’s enough money in reserve to initiate a head coaching change. 

Mike Norvell needs Ashton Daniels to save his job

Daniels is the way to make the math work in Norvell’s favor. Rather than going all-in on a more highly-coveted QB, FSU pulled him out of the bargain bin, which allowed it to retain Ja’Bril Rawls at corner, Duce Robinson at WR, the Desir twins on the defensive line, and add Quintrevion Wisner, Xavier Chaplin, and a few other interesting pieces from the portal. 

If Daniels is simply pedestrian, as he’s been most of his career, unable to fully maximize his physical potential because of poor decision-making and a lack of ball security, this roster isn’t good enough to compete in the ACC and get to eight or nine wins against one of the league’s toughest schedules. 

If, however, Daniels’ teammates and coaches are justified in their constant praise, the Noles may have something for 2026. In that case, could Norvell and Garrett do it again for 2027 and beyond when the longtime head coach has failed to develop a homegrown QB throughout his entire tenure? That’s a bridge the FSU administration would have to cross when it comes to it. 

But Norvell needs to catch lightning in a bottle to save his job this year, and it sounds like Daniels is starting to crackle.

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