Florida State fans have not been as invested this offseason, since head coach Mike Norvell has led the Seminoles to four losing seasons in six years. This is not the expectation of a proud program that wants to compete for championships.
It looked so promising in the opener after Florida State defeated Alabama. It had individuals thinking that the Seminoles were serious College Football Playoff contenders, then reality struck, and Florida State lost seven of its last nine games to not even make a bowl game.
Fast forward to the end of the season, and head coach Mike Norvell is now firmly on the hot-seat lists for many people. This was expected after Florida State lost the road matchup to the lowly opponent Stanford. However, the administration still decided to retain him for the 2026 season after that result.
Florida State has to find the right quarterback in 2026
Florida State has been living by the transfer portal with life after the great Jordan Travis. They tried DJ Uiagalelei, Thomas Castellanos, and now Ashton Daniels. The former Stanford and Auburn signal-caller has one year of eligibility remaining.
Daniels showed flashes during his four games with the Tigers, but it was head-scratching why he didn't have the starting job with Auburn, even with the pathetic play of Jackson Arnold. This makes you wonder why the coaching staff over there never pulled the trigger on him.
Nonetheless, Coach Norvell has raved about Daniels's leadership and the experience that he possesses. It is one of the worst-kept secrets in college football because it appears like the redshirt senior has the inside track to start in Game 1 versus New Mexico State.
On3's Pete Nakos provides an update about the Florida State quarterback battle after the Seminoles' spring scrimmage.
Sources have told @On3 that after the first Florida State scrimmage, it’s a clear two-way QB competition between Ashton Daniels and Kevin Sperry.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) March 31, 2026
More: https://t.co/js8uYXnInS https://t.co/XSi1bljx80
To be honest, this was a waste of a post by Nakos regarding the competition. Ashton Daniels and Kevin Sperry were the only two options that could realistically be involved in a battle. If JUCO option Malachi Marshall could've enrolled this spring, then there could be a different story, but I wouldn't be surprised if Coach Norvell wanted to name Ashton Daniels the starter heading into the summer.
The way I could see it, Sperry would have another year to develop and compete for the starting gig in 2027. Knowing how Coach Norvell operates with quarterbacks, I wouldn't be surprised if he brings in another signal-caller via the transfer portal to give Sperry and Marshall more competition in 2027.