Florida State’s linebackers have given the defense something to hang onto through an uneven start, but that unit is about to be tested in a much tougher and thinner form.
The Seminoles head to No. 10 Alabama on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC with several key pieces unavailable.
Coach Mike Norvell said senior Blake Nichelson, along with freshmen Izayia Williams and Daylen Green, will miss the game. Nichelson is out “an extended period of time,” while Williams and Green are done for the season.
Even with the injuries piling up, FSU’s linebacker room has shown real progress thanks in large part to the transfer market. Southern Miss transfer Chris Jones is tied for the team lead with 15 tackles and has added three quarterback hurries. North Carolina transfer Mikai Gbayor stepped into Nichelson’s spot in the 27-24 loss to SMU on Sept. 7 and has produced seven tackles and a sack in two games.
Caleb LaVallee, another UNC transfer who missed all of 2025 because of injury, made his presence felt against SMU with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup on the same series.
“I think this is one of the benefits of what we have with this defense and with this team is the depth in the room,” linebackers coach Ernie Sims Jr. said. “We brought in some guys in the offseason that we feel very confident about, and lo and behold it’s paying off for us. We got some guys we feel confident about even though we had some guys that went down.”
Omar Graham Jr., who has been with FSU since 2022, has also chipped in 11 tackles. Still, the group looks a lot different now without Nichelson and the two freshmen, and that matters against an Alabama offense that has shown more balance on the ground.
The Crimson Tide have 382 rushing yards and rank 48th in the FBS in rush offense. They ran for 155 yards on 40 carries, a 3.9-yard average, at Kentucky. Last season, Alabama finished 125th with 1,562 rushing yards, though it did manage 21 rushing touchdowns, which tied for 63rd.
One of the Tide’s main weapons is Daniel Hill, a 6-foot-1, 234-pound back who has 27 carries for 151 yards, good for a 5.6-yard average.
Then there is quarterback Keelon Russell, who is only two games into his second college season but has already shown he can escape pressure and make defenders pay.
“He puts strain on every single position,” Sims Jr. said. “Defensive line, how do we control the rushes?
How do we keep him in the pocket? How do we not allow him to do what he does best?
Run.
“He has the ability to be that plus-1 player. He’s challenging. You have to be very detailed with your game plan with him.”
FSU enters at 1-1 and has not won on the road since November 2023 against another SEC team, Florida.
The Seminoles will be back home on Sept. 26 against Central Arkansas, Norvell’s alma mater, at 3 p.m. on the ACC Network. That game will also include recognition for the school’s 2026 FSU Athletics Hall of Fame class, which features tight end Nick O’Leary, defensive end Bjoern Werner and left-hander Sean Gilmartin. Longtime athletics director Dave Hart will also be honored.
In Other News...
Mike Norvells Future Just Got More Uncomfortable For Florida State Fans
The scrutiny around a college football coach can turn every small detail into a talking point, and Mike Norvell is living through that familiar Florida State pressure again. With questions about his future already hanging over the program, even something as ordinary as a box truck at his residence has become part of the conversation, a reminder of how quickly uncertainty around a coach can spill beyond the field and into his personal life.
Norvells situation fits a pattern anyone around the sport recognizes, from the way departures have been tracked in real time before to the constant media attention that follows a coach when the seat gets warm. And it is not limited to football, either, with basketball coaches facing the same kind of public watchfulness when speculation starts to build, leaving the focus less on what is known than on what might happen next. [Read more 🡒]
Florida States Mike Norvell Dilemma Just Made Manny Diaz More Intriguing
Florida States coaching conversation has taken on a familiar shape, with the schools administration reportedly reluctant to absorb a major buyout to move on from Mike Norvell even after recent changes in the athletic department. That matters because any evaluation of the program now runs straight through the financial side of the ledger, where the Seminoles have been willing to spend on roster construction at a level that stands out in the ACC.
Manny Diaz has become a more interesting name in that context because of what he has done at Duke, where he has managed a stronger performance on a much smaller roster budget than Florida States. A recent college football budget report underscored the contrast, and it is exactly the kind of comparison that makes Diaz worth watching if the Seminoles eventually decide they need a different direction, even if the path to that decision is still unclear. [Read more 🡒]
Florida States Upset Shot May Depend On Two Quiet Playmakers
Florida States offense has plenty of familiar names, but the Seminoles may be carrying a little extra upside in two receivers who have not made much noise yet this season. Duce Robinson, an All-American and All-ACC performer, has five catches for 75 yards, while Micahi Danzy has six grabs for 69 yards, and together they have yet to find the end zone. For a team looking to shake up Alabama, getting more out of those two could be part of the answer.
Mike Norvell has not needed to force the issue on every playmaker so far, but the path to an upset may ask for a different approach. Robinson brings the kind of pedigree that can change a game, and Danzy has been steady enough to suggest there is more to tap into. If Florida State is going to threaten the Crimson Tide, its attack may need to lean harder on the receivers who have been waiting for a bigger role. [Read more 🡒]