Florida State football is in a must-win situation with head coach Mike Norvell. The Seminoles finished with a 5-7 record last season after beating Alabama in the opener.
It just seems like Coach Norvell can never be on the football gods' side. Many people have Florida State's head coach on the hot seat. This is understandable after the Seminoles have recorded four losing seasons in six years.
It should be noted that Florida State has every chance in the world to be successful. While Coach Norvell being the play-caller for the Seminoles in 2026 is a topic that everyone is discussing, it should also be noted that the defense is entering the second year of coordinator Tony White's 3-3-5 scheme.
Florida State is expecting the pass rushers to take a huge step during the 2026 season
As we saw during his time with Nebraska, they applied pressure to opposing quarterbacks. When reviewing the Cornhuskers' game against Colorado, Coach White's defense made signal-caller Shedeur Sanders feel very comfortable.
This was what the Seminole fan base was hoping would happen in 2025, but pass rushers didn't get to the quarterbacks often. True freshman Mandrell Desir was the leading sack artist for Florida State. They had expectations for former Nebraska defensive end James Williams to be the main guy, reuniting him with Coach White and Knighton from the Cornhuskers. However, it didn't pan out.
Florida State decided to retain Mandrell and Darryll Desir as well as Kevin Wynn, and they look to be three pivotal pieces for the Seminoles' defensive line in 2026. However, redshirt senior Deamontae Diggs also has the potential to emerge as someone to note.
Interested to see how Deamontae Diggs grows this spring and fall. He was sidelined early in 2025 due to a neck injury.
— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) March 17, 2026
He’s put on significant size (+17lbs) and stood out last week.
FSU expected him to play a big part in their pass rush last year. pic.twitter.com/I6lrcBIozh
Diggs came from Coastal Carolina via the transfer portal last offseason. The fan base didn't expect him to be much more than a depth piece given his production, but he showed flashes in the three games that he played during the 2025 season before getting injured.
Florida State needs all the pass rushers that it can get in 2026, so it doesn't have to rely solely on true freshmen. Diggs has to stay healthy and make an impact on the defense to help the Seminoles' chance of being successful.