EJ White's words might've unintentionally put Mike Norvell in a tough position

There's been a lot of speculation about whether the spring will feature a true quarterback competition between sophomore Kevin Sperry and incoming transfer Ashton Daniels and incoming freshman wide receiver EJ White might've accidentally poured more fuel on that fire.

White met with the local media yesterday and mentioned Sperry and Duce Robinson as two of the players he viewed as leaders on the team.

"Quarterback Kevin [Sperry]. You know he's one guy I've been watching. I've seen him a few times during my recruitment, and he's another guy I look up to. I watched him when I was playing quarterback. So you know, that's a guy...he's a leader," White said.

EJ White recognized Kevin Sperry as a team leader

White is just a freshmen and he's been enrolled at school for a month, so there's no reason to go crazy over anything he said...yet. He was on campus several times last year during his recruitment and probably had some opportunities to hang out with Sperry while Daniels was playing at Auburn.

But it makes you wonder how Mike Norvell is going to handle this quarterback situation in the spring. Daniels is the transfer portal acquisition and that's going to hold some weight. But he's also an fairly unproven guy who has never won anything in college football, so his credibility with FSU is limited.

If Sperry is viewed by some teammates as a leader in the locker room, those feelings are going to bleed out to the practice field. What the coaches have planned and what the players want could be two different things and if there's the impression that Daniels is being handed the job without earning it, there's going to be some difficulty getting players to support him.

The last thing Norvell needs is a quarterback controversy. Every game in the 2026 season could be his last as head coach at FSU and if the Seminoles have quarterback issues, it's almost certainly going to be the end of his time in Tallahassee. As Norvell dives back into more of an on-field coaching role, he can't get so lost in the increased day-to-day duties this spring that he fails to occasionally take the temperature of the locker room.