Florida State Football's 13 'Notes To Know' For Season Opener Against New Mexico State

The Florida State Seminoles are at the beginning of their first game week of the 2026 season. On Saturday night, the Seminoles will host the New Mexico State Aggies.

On Monday, Florida State released its game notes, which included 13 notes to know about the matchup this weekend.

Check them out below.

Notes To Know For FSU's Game Against New Mexico State

Oct 11, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Micahi Danzy (19) after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the fourth quarter at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Florida State will open its 80th football season against New Mexico State on Saturday night. The teams have faced off just once before in football, with the Seminoles blanking the Aggies 36-0 in 1964. The win was the third of three consecutive shutouts to begin the season for the 1964 team.

FSU is 56-23 (.709) all-time in season openers and 60-19 (.759) all-time in home openers.

Florida State is led by preseason All-American wide receiver Duce Robinson. The FSU legacy led the ACC last regular season with 1,081 receiving yards, the most for a Seminole since 2019. A first-team All-ACC selection and third-team All-American in 2025, Robinson ranked 11th nationally in receiving yards, led all P4 receivers with five 120-yard receiving games and was 2nd in the ACC with 21.15 yards per reception, behind only teammate Micahi Danzy.

Robinson enters the year on the Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and Wuerffel Trophy watch lists, is FSU's nominee for the Good Works Team and is a preseason first team All-American by multiple outlets. In 2025, Robinson was a first-team Academic All-American, the first at Florida State since 2012. The social studies major graduated in summer 2026.

In his first season as a wide receiver, Danzy led the country with six 50-yard plays in 2025. He joined 2026 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Peter Warrick as the only FSU wide receivers with at least three rushing and three receiving touchdowns in a season.

A member of Florida State's track and field team, Danzy helped lead the Florida State Men's Indoor Track & Field team to the 2026 ACC Championship in February, the Noles' first indoor track and field title since 2019.

Defensive lineman Mandrell Desir returns after an All-American season as a true freshman. The Miami native earned True Freshman All-American honors by On3 after recording 30 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss with 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. His sacks total was the 3rd-most in FSU history for a true freshman.

Florida State's 109-player roster includes 62 newcomers - 35 freshmen, 23 four-year transfers and 4 JuCo transfers.

FSU's NCAA transfer class has played 592 career games with 283 starts, completed 62.1 percent of its passes for 12,553 yards and 78 touchdowns, rushed 1,055 times for 3,927 yards and 32 rushing touchdowns, caught 157 passes for 1,203 yards and six touchdowns and started 117 games on the offensive line.

Defensively, 15 players have combined for 536 tackles, 44.0 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, 27 pass breakups with nine interceptions, seven forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Specialists account for 45 punts for 1,994 yards, with 15 punts inside the 20-yard line; 22 made field goals on 25 attempts; and 135 kickoffs with 56 touchbacks.

All five of Florida State's offensive line transfers have started at least 10 games in their careers, led by Bowling Green transfer Nate Pabst (38) and Auburn's Xavier Chaplin (37). Bradyn Joiner (17), Chimdia Nwaiwu (13) and Paul Bowling (12) round out the offensive line transfers.

*Notes courtesy of FSU Athletics

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