TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels was named Florida State's starting quarterback on Tuesday, answering the biggest question hanging over the program since the conclusion of spring practice.
When the Seminoles wrapped up their practices last Wednesday, coach Mike Norvell said he was “not ready” to name either Daniels or redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry the No. 1 quarterback. But Norvell indicated he was close to an announcement and
said he had seen growth in both players through three scrimmages and 12 practices.
He praised Daniels’ development, citing his leadership and improvement in how he threw the deep ball.
“Ashton has come in and done a great job in learning the offense,” Norvell said on April 4. “There’s still some of the finer details that we can grow from. I’m pleased with his progression and where that’s at.”
Florida State announced Daniels as the starter in a social media post, and Norvell did not elaborate. A team spokesman said the post was meant to provide “clarity.”
Daniels spent his first three seasons at Stanford and played for Auburn in 2025. He has 4,783 passing yards and 1,397 rushing yards with 35 touchdowns in 37 career games. He passed for a career-high 442 yards in Auburn’s loss at Vanderbilt last fall.
Sperry completed 12 of 17 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns for the Seminoles in 2025. He also had 27 rushing yards.
Florida State is coming off a pair of losing seasons, going 2-10 in 2024 and 5-7 in 2025. Norvell has leaned on transfer quarterbacks, including Jordan Travis (a multiyear starter), DJ Uiagalelei (2024) and Tommy Castellanos (2025).
Travis guided Florida State to 28 wins, beginning his career as a backup before starting in 2022 and leading the Seminoles to a 10-0 mark in 2023 before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Florida State won the Atlantic Coast Conference title but, without Travis, was left out of a four-team playoff.
Florida State opens the season at home against New Mexico State on Aug. 29. The Seminoles host SMU on Sept. 7 before playing at Alabama on Sept. 19.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
