Mike Norvell is likely going to roll the dice with Ashton Daniels and it might work

Mike Norvell never really said there would be a quarterback competition this spring, but rather there would be a competitive environment at all the positions, including quarterback. It's a lot of word salad, but the safe assumption is that Ashton Daniels will at least start the season as QB1. 

The opinions on Daniels since he arrived in Tallahassee have been mixed and for good reason. He's an older player that's been fairly pedestrian at struggling programs. Even though the DJ Uiagalelei era was a bust, there was more optimism around him because it was top recruit as a championship program. Daniels was a mid-level prospect without any real elite traits and that's shown itself to be true in his first four years of college football.

So, why would Mike Norvell, whose job we can assume is on the line this season, put his eggs in the basket of a player that's...5-18 as a starter? What does he see in Daniels that makes him believe this is the move?

"They believe, they being the staff at Florida State, feel like [Daniels] was the better quarterback at Auburn the entire time last year," On3's JD Pickell said on his YouTube channel.

Pickell also pointed out, correctly I might add, that Auburn was generally better with Daniels behind center even though he didn't win any of his starts. But some key pieces of that offensive staff that was watching Daniels last year are gone. Guz Malzahn is retired. Tony Tokarz took a job at Buffalo. Now it'll be Norvell, Austin Tucker, one of his old Memphis staffers that's been around Tallahassee for a while, and Jesse Stone, who is probably going to be the most important piece of Daniels' success, handling the position. 

Now that Norvell is wearing the play caller's hat again, can he find the right way to make Daniels successful? Malzahn was going to run the heck out of him, we know that. Norvell doesn't like to run his quarterbacks near as much, but that might change in 2026 because I don't believe he wants Daniels to throw more than he has to. 

The good news is Daniels has dudes around him. Duce Robinson, we know, is a dude. Micahi Danzy has to become a greater part of the offense and I expect more from the running backs without Malzahn's ridiculous rotation where everyone gets 6–8 carries. Daniels has to get these guys the ball, and they can make him look good.