It's been a long offseason for Florida State fans, but the wait is almost over, as fall camp starts on July 29. The Seminoles need to perform for Mike Norvell to keep his job, and a lot of that will fall on quarterback Ashton Daniels.
Daniels transferred over from Auburn and was named the starting quarterback for this team over the summer. Despite that, there are questions around him, and some of those will be answered when pads come on for practice.
Fall camp could reveal whether Ashton Daniels is Florida State's answer
Daniels has spent his collegiate career at Stanford and Auburn before coming down to Florida State. And while he's started for both schools, the results have been a mixed bag thus far, making this fall camp an interesting one to watch.
In 37 collegiate games, Daniels has gone 434-of-721 (60.2 percent) for 4,783 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and 22 interceptions. His touchdown-to-interception ratio of nearly 1-to-1 isn't what fans want to see and gives an indication he hasn't been the best passer.
His biggest strengths certainly come as a rusher, as he's compiled 345 carries with 1,397 rushing yards and 11 rushing scores. That's going to be an area that Florida State leans into this season, but being able to be an effective passer will determine the majority of things on the field.
Considering that the ground attack features Ousmane Kromah and transfer Quintrevion Wisner, along with Daniels, teams will load up the box to slow down the run. With that expected to be a productive part of the offense, it will also give Daniels favorable opportunities in the passing game.
He will need to consistently find and accurately deliver passes to receivers for this offense to have a real shot at success. He has a No. 1 receiver in Duce Robinson, but he'll need to display in practice that he can get him and others the ball.
He owns a solid arm, and his athleticism will allow him to extend plays. But he must show that he's elevated as a passer to build confidence among the staff, fans, and his teammates.
His starting experience will help him out in terms of being overwhelmed on the field and diagnosing coverages. That's a bonus, but the Seminoles' defense will throw multiple things his way to disrupt the offense and his timing during camp.
Of course, he won't get hit in practice, but if he struggles to move the ball through the air, doubt could creep in. John Evans of 247Sports revealed that Daniels "won't be asked to drop back and read out the defense very often," but when he does, he'll need to cash in.
If he doesn't, teams will hone in on the run. Daniels has some questions that need to be answered, and fall camp will give him the chance to quiet some narratives around him. With a strong camp, the arrow will continue to point up. Yet, if he doesn't play well, the negative chatter on his impact will only increase, making this an important few weeks.
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