The quarterback position at Florida State is the most important spot going into the 2026 season. The Noles have very little depth and experience, which is why they added two transfer portal quarterbacks in the spring. However, only one is expected to compete for the starting job: former Stanford starting quarterback and Auburn backup, Ashton Daniels.
He’s competing with redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry, and from the latest reports, it’s an actual competition through the first few spring practices. Florida State head coach Mike Norvell indicated it was a “battle” after the first scrimmage a few days ago, and the latest reports from On3 suggest the same:
Sources have told @On3 that after the first Florida State scrimmage, it’s a clear two-way QB competition between Ashton Daniels and Kevin Sperry.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) March 31, 2026
More: https://t.co/js8uYXnInS https://t.co/XSi1bljx80
Florida State needs a quarterback who can lead and not turn the ball over all the time in 2026.
This is what Florida State fans clamored for, as some fans wanted Kevin Sperry to be given the job without taking a transfer quarterback. However, that wasn’t possible because Sperry only appeared in four games last year and has relatively no experience. How much sense would it make for FSU to do that without any other quarterbacks on the roster with experience for depth purposes alone?
My thought was that Daniels would come in and likely seize the job relatively early because of his experience. It’s likely easier for players to buy into him as a leader because of that. However, Sperry has been competing, and ultimately, players will gravitate to whoever they believe is performing the best at practice. We’ll see if this “battle” language continues over the next few weeks or if it goes into the summer
It's probably smart for Mike Norvell and the staff to continue saying it's a quarterback battle to squeeze every ounce out of each player. I would be surprised if Sperry is ultimately named the starter, but we'll see as time progresses. At least for now, it's an actual battle like Florida State fans wanted.