FSU Football's Mike Norvell Seems to Lean Toward QB Competition in 2026

The Florida State Seminoles face a significant challenge this season as head coach Mike Norvell enters his seventh year at the helm. FSU went through a major staff and roster overhaul, losing 26 players to the transfer portal while adding 23.

To take a look at Florida State as a whole, the man calling plays under center will have a spotlight beaming heavily upon him, as former quarterback Tommy Castellanos and much of the No. 6 offense in the country last year will not be suiting up in garnet and gold.

The Seminoles retained redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry and added Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels alongside redshirt senior Dean DeNobile and top JUCO prospect Malachi Marshall into the mix as FSU is looking for a true quarterback competition this time around.

Norvell Sets the Bar High for Daniels

One contender to take the starting role is Daniels, who is coming off a productive back half of a season with the Tigers after three years at Stanford. All in all, the redshirt senior has appeared in 37 games, throwing for 4,783 yards and 24 touchdowns. However, leading the Florida State offense isn’t a given, and Norvell made that clear in a recent interview with On3 Sports, noting that there was a “high expectation” of what Daniels needs to look like.

“Ashton has great experience,” Norvell told On3’s Pete Nakos. “He’s been a part of multiple offenses and has done a variety of different things. Last year was a learning experience for him, and getting an opportunity to redshirt. Didn’t play until late in the season, due to coming in at Auburn until July.”

Norvell described the Buford, Georgia, product’s growth and playmaking ability as promising, hoping that a full offseason will help Daniels surpass his potential.

“I saw the growth in him and the belief with the full season here in front of him, full offseason,” Norvell continued. “Really excited about what he brings.”

Transfer Veteran Ready to Compete for the Job

Nov 29, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson (0) pressures Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels (12) on the final play of the game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Alabama defeated Auburn 27-20. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Daniels himself knows the road ahead will be filled with competition and seems up for the task.

"Regardless, anywhere you go in college football nowadays, you're going to have to compete,” Daniels said to the media in his introductory interview. “Nothing is just handed to you...I know that nothing is given to me, so I'm going to go in there, and we are going to compete, and we are going to do our best to sharpen each other."

FSU has built its identity on offense and will return perhaps its biggest playmakers in 2026: wide receivers Duce Robinson and Micahi Danzy, and running backs Sam Singleton, Jr., and Ousmane Kromah. With plenty of weapons surrounding the quarterback position, spring and fall camp could shape up to be a true competition where the best man wins.

No matter whether it’s Daniels, Sperry, Marshall, or DeNobile taking the first snap this season, the choice under center will need to deliver results quickly to steer the Seminoles back toward national relevance. Another misfire at quarterback could set Florida State back once again.

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