Florida State head coach Mike Norvell has had high remarks on players before, and he is never an indvidual that will throw them under the bus. He will always try to protect them from the media and will uplift them.
With that said, it comes with a dangerous territory because it heightens their expectations of them. If they don't succeed, then it will be a bad look. At this point, it seems as though Norvell is high on Florida State being a good team in 2026, but we have heard that before.
The players are putting in work, and there are some talented pieces on the roster. One dynamic duo that fans are focusing on is Mandrell and Darryll Desir. The Desir Twins should be monitored for good reason, as they leveraged themselves within the NIL landscape over the offseason and even entered the transfer portal.
This is the landscape of college football, and to be honest, I would be angry if we went back to the days of putting money in McDonald's bags (Tennessee football reference). Nonetheless, Desir Twins will already have high expectations because of it, but Norvell is high on another individual within the defensive line that no one is talking about.
Deamontae Diggs could be the most underrated piece on the Seminoles' defense for the 2026 season
That defensive lineman is former Coastal Carolina pass rusher Deamontae Diggs. The Seminoles' fan base was focused on the pickups of James Williams and Deante McCray from the portal, but didn't think much about the impact that Diggs would have.
The Coastal Carolina transfer had one sack and one tackle for loss before he suffered a season-ending injury after only three games in the 2025 season. The veteran was able to use a redshirt to come back to the Seminoles in 2026.
Norvell mentioned in a recent presser that Diggs has the potential to be as good as anyone within the defensive end group on the team. While the Seminoles don't have a ton of proven depth on the defensive line, that is still high praise for someone who doesn't have that much production.
Florida State is already taking a gamble on an unproven player for defensive coordinator Tony White, but at least Diggs has played college football for four years now. The good news is that the veteran is listed at 6'5" and 267 pounds, so there is a lot to work with in that frame for the coaching staff.
Add us as a preferred source on Google