FSU QB Ashton Daniels Delivers Honest Response to Outside Pressure

The noise around the Florida State football program isn't subsiding; it's only growing following the failures over the last two seasons.

The situation feels as precarious as it has been since head coach Mike Norvell arrived in Tallahassee nearly seven years ago.

Depending on how the fall unfolds, there could be an entirely new regime at Florida State by the time December arrives.

Either way, there is plenty of skepticism that the Seminoles will get back on track in 2026, and a lot of that doubt falls on the shoulders of starting quarterback Ashton Daniels.

A veteran with experience in the ACC and SEC, Daniels beat out Kevin Sperry for the job during the spring. However, national analysts have routinely ranked him near the bottom of the conference in their quarterback rankings, or left him off entirely.

The outside pressure is something Daniels isn't paying attention to as he prepares to lead the Seminoles.

Ashton Daniels Keeping His Focus On Winning, Not Critics

Daniels was one of Florida State's three player representatives at the ACC Kickoff on Wednesday. While on the podium, he was asked directly about how he deals with criticism and negative comments.

"It's such a hard thing to handle because obviously, you see that kind of stuff every single day. That's social media nowadays, that's football, that's how the world is," Daniels said. "You see that kind of stuff, but I think what separates the best players from the worst is how they handle that kind of stuff."

"If you sit there and you look at it and you sulk about it, you're not going to get anywhere from it," Daniels added.

Earlier this month, Daniels was excluded from On3's Andy Staples rankings of the top-10 quarterbacks in the ACC.

It's hard to avoid the negatives with how in-your-face social media tends to be. Instead of getting caught up in the clouds, Daniels is keeping his focus on what he can control, putting in the work and helping Florida State stack up wins.

"Obviously, I saw that, but I don't care; people can say whatever they want to. I don't care," Daniels said. "What's going to show is, like what coach said, the actions on the field."

"Using that kind of as bulletin board material, yeah, that's in the back of my mind, but I just want to win every single day," Daniels continued. "I want to show up to the facility, give my best every single day, and that's what I'm focused on."

The questions surrounding Daniels are legitimate, considering he's at his third school in as many years and has thrown 24 touchdowns to 22 interceptions in his career.

Daniels can put the doubters to rest by shocking everyone when the season rolls around.

Florida State kicks off its 2026 campaign against New Mexico State on August 29.

2026 Florida State Football Schedule:

Saturday, August 29 vs. New Mexico State - Tallahassee - 7:00 p.m. ET on The CW

Monday, September 7 vs. SMU – Tallahassee - 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Saturday, September 19 at Alabama – Tuscaloosa, Ala. - 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC

Saturday, September 26 vs. Central Arkansas – Tallahassee (Family Weekend/Hall of Fame)

Saturday, October 3 vs. Virginia – Tallahassee (Cancer Awareness)

Friday, October 9 at Louisville – Louisville, Ky. - 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN

Saturday, October 17 at Miami – Miami Gardens, Fla.

Saturday, October 31 vs. Clemson – Tallahassee (Military Appreciation)

Saturday, November 7 at Boston College – Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Saturday, November 13 at Pitt – Pittsburgh, Pa. - 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN

Saturday, November 21 vs. NC State – Tallahassee (Homecoming/Seminole Heritage/Athlete Alumni Reunion)

Friday, November 27 vs. Florida – Tallahassee - 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC

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