Ashton Daniels Makes Surprising Statement About FSU Football's Defense

Florida State's Ashton Daniels has spent much of the offseason solidifying his place as the leader of the offense.

But his day-in-and-day-out view from under center has given him a close look at what could become a strength of the team this year.

After facing the unit throughout the fall and two preseason scrimmages, Daniels offered a lofty prediction Wednesday, declaring that Florida State will have the best defensive line in the ACC.

Daniels Believes FSU Will Have the ACC’s Best Defensive Line in 2026

The difficulty of facing Florida State’s defensive front in practice should ultimately benefit an offense breaking in five new starters along the line.

For Daniels, facing Florida State’s defensive front every day is helping prepare him and an overhauled offensive line for the season ahead. After experiencing that pressure firsthand, he's confident in the guys who routinely try to tackle him.

“I truly believe that we are going to have the best D-line in the ACC,” Daniels said during his post-practice interview. “I think there’s no doubt about that. Just our guys being able to go against that every single day- it’s the iron-sharpens-iron mentality, I think, that is really going to make our team better.”

FSU’s Speed Up Front Is Scary

Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Mandrell Desir (93) sacks Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) during the first half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Daniels is a veteran quarterback who has experienced a variety of talented defensive fronts during his time at Stanford and Auburn. But he was adamant that the combination of size, versatility, and speed he sees from Florida State’s front has caught his attention.

“At the end of every practice, we put up the top five guys with the fastest speeds, and the Desir twins are on that almost every single day, which is unbelievable to see,” Daniels continued. "Seeing that on the screen every single day- guys who are 20-plus miles an hour- that’s freaky... It’s truthfully scary for a quarterback to sit there and look at that and know that you have that rushing at you every single day.”

To put that into perspective, Mandrell Desir is listed at 6-foot-4, 270, and his brother, Darryll Desir, is listed at 6-foot-5, 250 on the current Seminoles roster.

Going up against such a talented front, Daniels said, continues to sharpen his game, alongside the entire offensive line.

“They just continue to sharpen me. They continue to sharpen me in my pocket movement, feeling pressure and being able to escape and get out of it,” Daniels said. “They’re sharpening our tackles. They’re sharpening our O-line.”

The Seminoles resume practice on Thursday, August 13, as FSU prepares for its season opener against New Mexico State on August 29.

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