Florida State's newest commit could be the dark horse in saving Mike Norvell's job

Florida State football did not have the season that it wanted to have in 2025 as it fell to a 5-7 record. The Seminole faithful were critical of the abilities of head football coach Mike Norvell to turn this around, as he has had four losing seasons in six years.

In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, when the Seminoles had a combined 23-4 record, they had the services of the do-it-all quarterback Jordan Travis. He meant so much to his university. While Travis wasn't a homegrown recruit, he knew what it meant to be at Florida State.

Other programs, such as Miami, have connected with talented quarterbacks such as Cam Ward, Carson Beck, and now potentially Darian Mensah. Signal-callers can change the fortunes of a team, where they can turn them from mediocre to a great one. That is the importance of the position.

Florida State landed the commitment of talented JUCO quarterback Malachi Marshall

Florida State threw options at the problem at quarterback, where they had two scholarship options in redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry and true freshman signee Jaden O'Neal heading into the transfer portal window. There had to be more depth at the position.

The Seminoles hosted several transfers on campus, but decided to choose Auburn's Ashton Daniels, Lafayette's Dean DeNobile, and Iowa Western's Malachi Marshall.

The one that I am most intrigued by is Iowa Western Community College quarterback Malachi Marshall. He is considered the number one JUCO quarterback in the 2026 cycle. This is someone who has three years of eligibility to play two seasons.

According to MaxPreps, Marshall had 2,750 passing yards with 33 touchdowns and eight interceptions during the 2025 season. While he wasn't much of a running threat, he could extend plays with his legs in the pocket.

While I am not one to advocate for coaches being fired, Marshall could be the quarterback who could ultimately hush the Mike Norvell naysayers for good. In the clips below, you can see the accuracy with which Marshall throws through tight windows to get the football into the hands of his receivers.

This could most definitely be someone that fans need to monitor. Even though he will be enrolling at Florida State in the summer, this could be a quarterback who challenges for a starting spot. This is a phenomenal grab in the portal that the Seminoles needed to elevate their quarterback room.