If the goal for the Florida State offense was a quiet offseason, the program achieved it.
Sure, Gus Malzahn’s retirement was random, and the transfer portal messes should have been handled in private. But, since the end of Tour of Duty and the beginning of spring practice, there are no bombshell stories breaking out of Tallahassee like when Alex Atkins was suspended in 2024. No crazy comments like Tommy Castellanos said last offseason, which miraculously paid off. Even Terrance Knighton has pulled
back, tweeting only eight times since Feb. 20. The largest non-football-related news was about FSU’s backup kicker, who got arrested on spring break.
On the one hand, after the noise coming out of the Seminole program the last two offseasons, boring can be a positive. But even with fan apathy at an all-time high, head coach Mike Norvell decided to keep the general public in the dark, closing practice for the second year in a row, and leaving all of us to guess what the 2026 team will look like.
“Most coaches will say they feel good about where they are coming out of spring, but I really do,” Norvell told the local Tallahassee media in his final availability of spring practice. “We’ve got a team that has a lot of work in front of it, but it’s one that I’m excited about — some of the additions we’ve been able to bring in and what their ownership, what they’re investing into this team and this university.”
Although Norvell says he feels good about where his team is exiting spring, his actions paint a different message. The head coach, throughout these last six weeks, refused to name a starting quarterback heading into the summer, making it difficult to believe in or break down a team without a sure thing under center.
For most of spring, it seemed that transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels would be the starter over Kevin Sperry. Daniels, who came to FSU from Auburn and appeared to be a fit for Gus Malzahn, brings college experience and leadership that Norvell clearly values from his quarterback. Throughout the spring, the head coach mentioned his improved decision-making and ability to make plays with his legs. Even though Daniels came to Tallahassee as an unfinished product and was unable to win the starting job at Auburn last year, he was usually the first QB Norvell mentioned when asked about the two. Here was what Norvell said about Daniels at the end of spring:
“Ashton Daniels — for all the things that you watch and see, getting a chance to coach somebody day to day, I’ve really been pleased with what he’s shown in his pocket, being able to live in a pocket and deliver the ball. He’s shown growth through the spring on the vertical shots — he hit a couple in the scrimmage the other day that were right where they needed to be. Huge plays that sparked big drives.”
However, just a few sentences earlier, Norvell did not feel comfortable naming a starting quarterback because of Kevin Sperry. Sperry, who appeared in three games last season, would seem to be the option that would most excite the fan base, as Daniels would be the third transfer quarterback in the last three seasons. But obviously, as a redshirt freshman, he has a lot of room to grow. Norvell often talked about wanting to see better consistency from Sperry, but rarely got into more details. Norvell also talked about Sperry in his final availability of the spring:
“Kevin Sperry has just gotten better throughout the spring. We’ve talked about consistency with him, and I think he’s definitely growing up. His growth is something that encourages me.”
Naming a quarterback at the end of spring would allow the team and fan base to rally around one leader and arm heading into the fall. Instead, the Noles will begin year seven under Norvell with uncertainty under center, which potentially could bleed into the rest of the roster.
While quarterback may be the most important position that needs clarity, the coaching staff still did not provide transparency on multiple other groups around the offense.
Florida State, once again, will need to replace all five starters along the offensive line. The Noles brought in five transfers to compete with their returning players, but after 15 practices, Norvell, offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr., and offensive line coach Herb Hand cannot say who their best five OL are.
On the returning player side, Norvell mentioned Jonathan Daniels one time throughout the spring, even though the redshirt sophomore enters his third year with the program and FSU has an obvious need at right tackle. The head coach also talked about Sandman Thompson early in the spring, but did not mention him when talking about the offensive line at the end of the third scrimmage.
As for the transfers, it remains unclear who will play where because the staff has been keen on having versatility among their players. Norvell mentioned Braydn Joiner could play center or guard, and Nate Pabst could plug in at tackle or guard. While being experienced in multiple positions along the offensive line matters more than others because of the amount of attrition, the lack of definitive answers points to a revolving door and another question mark on a team full of them.
“I think we’re going to have what we need — seven, eight, potentially nine guys who can play high-level football. We’re still solidifying who’s going to be that first five.”
Along with unease about the offensive depth chart, Florida State will also have its third offensive coordinator in three seasons and its second offensive play caller in the last two years. While the 2025 season fell off a cliff, Malzahn still found a way to move the ball on offense, and the CEO role for Norvell seemed to suit him better, given the number of responsibilities a head coach shoulders. But, as mentioned, Malzahn retired, and Norvell wanted to call plays again, even though the head coach’s play calling struggled in 2024.
Norvell has not pulled back the curtain much this spring on what will be different about his offensive strategy this time around, aside from noting that red-zone offense will be a point of focus for the group this year. He mentioned receiving constant input from offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr., and Norvell seems genuinely impressed by the first-time OC’s ability to transition into his new role, but there are still questions about the operation and whether Norvell can handle the play-calling responsibilities.
“I’m going to be active as a head coach. Running, making sure that everything — offense, defense, special teams — looks a certain way when we’re in those team situations. Obviously, I’m very aware of all where things need to look offensively. But also, I want to make sure that as a football team, we’re playing the way we need to play.”
In the era of the transfer portal, teams are always going to look different year to year. But, without a known commodity at quarterback, question marks on the offensive line, and banking on a resurgent play caller, there are plenty of unknowns for the Florida State offense. Instead of providing evidence of a solution, Norvell chose to be vague in his answers, either by design or because none exist.
The rest of the public will have to wait until August to see which one was the truth.
