New Mexico State Head Coach Tony Sanchez Praises FSU Football Before Season Opener

The Florida State Seminoles are playing an unfamiliar opponent to begin the 2026 season.

In fact, the Seminoles have only faced the New Mexico State Aggies one time in program history, a 36-0 victory in 1964.

Regardless, these teams are about to get to know one another very well on Saturday.

New Mexico State went 4-8 last season, posting a 1-5 mark on the road. Despite missing the postseason in his first two years with the Aggies, head coach Tony Sanchez is excited about his team's potential going into the fall.

Sanchez is actually familiar with Mike Norvell. When Norvell was early in his coaching career, he stopped by Bishop Gorman, where Sanchez was the head coach, to recruit. The two ended up eating lunch together.

Over a decade later, the two will meet again on the football field.

New Mexico State HC Tony Sanchez Compliments Florida State

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell watches as players put in work during practice with the first home game just a few weeks away, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

College football is all about change. The growing popularity of the transfer portal and the introduction of revenue sharing have expedited movement in the sport.

Florida State has over 60 new players on its roster and New Mexico State is in the 40 range.

The best thing you can do is watch film on players from their previous schools.

"This is kind of the way it is now in college football. You see a lot of movement on different rosters, so when you're talking about personnel, you take it with a grain of salt," Sanchez said earlier this week. "You've got to watch some of the stuff they did. You want to watch Daniels and what he did at his previous stops. You want to watch kind of what his strengths and weaknesses are."

Along with the personnel changes, Sanchez talked about the intrigue of Norvell taking back over as the playcaller, and praised defensive coordinator Tony White.

"Even coach Norvell coming back and calling the offense. He didn't call the offense last year; Malzahn did. So, going back and kind of watching his DNA," Sanchez said. "What are the things that he likes to do? We spent some time doing that, and then coach White over there does a great job on the defensive side."

Sanchez made sure to reference star wide receiver Duce Robinson. He knows the Seminoles have a handful of playmakers who could make life tough for the Aggies.

"You've got to know where Duce is, that big ol' receiver. He's a stud, so you've got to know where he is on the field," Sanchez said. "There's some guys out there that you have to really pay attention to."

Sanchez Breaks Down Exciting Opportunity For New Mexico State

Sanchez believes New Mexico State had a productive preseason camp.

The Aggies return key players such as wide receiver TK King, linebackers Sone Aupiu and Tory Gethers, and defensive end Gabe Petersen.

"Love the demeanor of this team, love the work ethic of this team. Like I said, it was a very competitive camp," Sanchez said. "We challenged these guys in a lot of ways. We practiced in the heat, we had a lot of physical practices, some great competition in our scrimmages."

"Really liked what we see, so now it's time to lay it all out there. Be the best version of ourselves possible, and go out and compete each and every week, and it starts right here," Sanchez added.

New Mexico State is fielding a new starting quarterback for the third straight year, turning to Furman transfer Trey Hedden.

During the 2025 campaign, Hedden completed 287/420 passes for 2,967 yards with 17 touchdowns to 13 interceptions.

Sanchez wants Hedden to trust the players around him and try not to force it, but the Aggies do like the way he's been running the show in practice.

"He did great. That's why he's the starter. He did a good job," Sanchez said. "We're excited, it's not just this fall, from what he did in the spring, what he did in the camp, and just the way he delivers the ball. The way he orchestrates and runs the offense, we're excited about it."

On defense, New Mexico State has a handful of starters back in the fold. However, veteran safety Bernock Iya will miss the season due to a liver injury, and Cincinnati safety transfer Tayden Barnes is considered a game-time decision.

Despite the injuries, Sanchez hopes the Aggies can lean on the defensive side of the ball.

"Defensively, we return seven starters, and we've got an eighth guy, Lorenzo, who played a bunch last year. I think we've added some good pieces to that defense," Sanchez said. "We've added some really good depth and then with the guys we have returning, it's going to be a veteran group. We're going to lean on those guys."

It's safe to say that Florida State is fired up to get back into Doak Campbell Stadium. The Aggies reflect that sentiment, even more so since they get to play the Seminoles.

"I think anytime you get to the first game of the season, I don't know if it matters who you play, you're going to be frothing at the mouth, you're going to be ready to go," Sanchez said.

"Now, having it be against a Florida State team at Doak Campbell, a lot of history, tradition," Sanchez added. "It's going to be an exciting environment, it's going to be an exciting atmosphere."

The Florida State Seminoles kick off their 2026 season against the New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday, August 29. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on The CW.

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