The transfer portal opens up on January 2nd for college football teams across the country. This needs to be a chance for Florida State football to create momentum for the season. This is unheard of, with the Seminoles having a combined 7-17 record over the past two seasons.
Head football coach Mike Norvell has been retained for the 2026 season, but the pressure is on him to win in 2026. However, one of the biggest position groups, quarterback, is a major talking point.
Transfer Thomas Castellanos was brought in last offseason, but it doesn't look like the Seminoles will be able to get another year of eligibility from the NCAA for him. The fan base likes redshirt freshman signal-caller Kevin Sperry, but are individuals ready to put their complete faith in the youngster?
Florida State did announce that quarterbacks coach will be Austin Tucker that will be promoted from within. This isn't an opportunity for myself to hate on the news, given that he hasn't been in the capacity. This seems like a decision that the Seminoles should be able to make quickly. Either they are confident in what they have in Sperry or not. This season is too important for this to be a trial run.
However, the bigger question mark is the fact that the position can make-or-break a team in their success on the team. Just look at the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes, they had dynamic option Cam Ward and then veteran Carson Beck. This allowed the Hurricanes to play Texas A&M for the College Football Playoff.
While everyone wants to see how Florida State football can elevate themselves after the two down seasons, the Seminoles would like to be known as a place where signal-callers can be developed.
However, that cannot be done if the program wants to put a band-aid on the problem. In that same breath, we saw what happened with former five-star quarterback Luke Kromenhoek played in 2024 and then transferred to Mississippi State in the offseason (we saw that the grass isn't always greener).
It is confusing to see Florida State sit on their hands at quarterback with it being one of the most important positions on the field and the transfer portal opens up soon. The program has to be confident in its decision making and stick with the possible option.
Is it worth adding, for example, a Division II option (Marcus Stokes) or even an Old Dominion passer (Colton Joseph)? That is the million-dollar question for the framework of what will determine how the Seminoles will perform in 2026.
If they are confident in Sperry, don't venture in the transfer waters. Lock down the quarterback position and everything should fall into place.