RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe time for talk has ended. The clock has started on the college football season.
Florida State football will take to the practice fields at the Dunlap football facility on Wednesday, July 29, to officially start preseason camp. The Seminoles will practice 18 times, including a couple of scrimmages, with three practices in Jacksonville on the campus of the University of North Florida from Aug. 6 - 8.
It marks the start of Mike Norvell's seventh season in charge of the program, and it is arguably the most pressure-packed of his tenure. With two seasons of underperformance resulting in a 7-17 record and no road wins since 2023, Norvell has to get it right if he wants to continue his stay in Tallahassee.
He's back in the playcalling seat after the retirement of Gus Malzahn , and that is one of the key storylines to follow in the preseason. Let's dive into three more storylines to follow as the Seminoles get prepared for the 2026 season opener against New Mexico State on Aug. 29.
Ashton Daniels is the starter ; how does the Seminoles' offense morph around him?
Ashton Daniels is the Seminoles' third new starter in as many years , and he will be tasked with leading a talented but still unproven offense. Operating under Norvell and offensive coordinator Tim Harris Jr., the offense will have to morph around Daniels in the preseason to maximize his strengths.
A wide receiving corps that features Duce Robinson , Micahi Danzy , Jayvan Boggs and true freshman standouts Devin Carter and Jasen Lopez will give Daniels a wealth of options to throw to. He'll have to limit turnovers, something that plagued him during his time at Stanford (20 interceptions) and Auburn (two interceptions), respectively, but if he can get the ball into his playmakers' hands, the Seminoles will be able to orchestrate sustained scoring drives.
An area to monitor in preseason camp is Daniels' comfort and success when throwing the deep ball. It's an area he has struggled with in the past, as he went 5-of-16 on deep balls last season, with two touchdowns, and is 33-of-113, 29% completion, on passes of more than 20 yards in his career, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He will have the players to strike on explosives, something that Norvell tries to dial up with regularity, but his touch on the deep ball will need to be there.
In the mid-to-short range passing concepts, Daniels will be a good fit, especially with Robinson and Danzy having the ability to create after the catch. How Norvell uses Daniels and running backs Ousmane Kromah, Tre Wisnor and Sam Singelton Jr. in the ground game might be the most important thing to piece together in preseason.
Daniels is more than capable as a runner, with 1,401 career rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Kromah will be a big part of the offense under Norvell, especially with his use of a two-back backfield. He rushed for 407 yards and added a further 147 in the pass game as a freshman, and could be in line for a surge in his usage.
How that relationship and backfield rushing ability develops will be one of the key things to follow in the morphing of the offense around Daniels.
FSU needs to find the right offensive line combination
The offensive cohesion around Daniels can't happen if the Seminoles don't get the right combination along the offensive line.
For a second consecutive season, the Seminoles have rebuilt the offensive line through the transfer portal, with a few potential starters coming from players already on the roster in Andre' Otto and Jayden Todd. There is a real chance that the portal pickups Xavier Chaplin, Baydn Welch-Joine and Nate Pabst will start, leaving two spots to figure out in preseason.
Nothing is set in stone, but it's imperative to get the right combination of the line as quickly as possible to build that cohesion in the preseason. It's not easy to overhaul an offensive line in one season, but FSU did it last under Herb Hand, and will need to do it again to have success with Daniels under center.
Both Otto and Todd have had to be patient for opportunity, and with potentially play time available, the preseason is a chance to snatch a role on the starting line. Otto seems the more likely of the pair to do so right now, but both players will have a month to prepare for the official start of the season.
Further continuity and cohesion defensively under Tony White
Tony White enters his second season as defensive coordinator for the Seminoles program with hopes of improvement from his unit. Despite a defense that ranked, statistically, inside the top 30 of college football last season, White's unit had plenty of areas to address.
Coverage issues in the middle of the field, particularly from the linebackers, led to explosive plays from opponents that could have been prevented. That room was overhauled with Southern Miss transfer Chris Jones and North Carolina transfer Mikai Gbayor alongside freshman Izyia Williams, Karon Maycock and Noah Lavalle.
It's a big boost to a room that needed it, and with Gbayor coming in with three seasons of experience under White, it should help address some of the deficiencies from the linebacker spot that popped up a year ago.
Along the defensive line, brothers Darryll and Mandrell Desir have to take a step up after breakthrough freshman campaigns. The success of the defensive line doesn't fully hinge on them, but the performances will move the needle in one direction or the other.
The secondary is the strongest unit on the defense, currently, with Ja'Bril Rawls and Ashlynd Barker returning after strong years, and the addition of Duke transfer safety Ma'Khi Jones a major boost.
With White's 3-3-5 scheme, the success of the defense requires the proper positional fits. That wasn't the case in year one, but the team entering year two is more in line with White's style of defense, which requires versatility across the unit.
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