Ashton Daniels is starting to look like a quarterback who has shaken off the weight that followed him into Florida State.
Through 12 days of fall camp, the Seminoles signal-caller has played with the kind of confidence that has been missing at points earlier in his college career and even earlier this spring. That growth has shown up in the way he’s handled camp and, just as importantly, in how his teammates and coaches are responding to him.
Daniels has never directed an offense for a winning college team. Stanford went 3-9 in each of his three seasons there, and after transferring to Auburn last year, he found himself behind Jackson Arnold on a Tigers team that finished 5-7.
Now in his fifth year of college football, Daniels has spent camp trying to put that history in the rearview mirror by sharpening the details - execution, fundamentals, cutting down mistakes, and developing as a leader. By all accounts, that work is paying off.
“He's hit a home run in that regard with this football team,” Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell said in a post-practice press conference on Wednesday. And so, um, just continue to push, stay true to himself, you know, have a focus of improvement every day, and, you know, when this team needs him to.”
Norvell also made it clear that Daniels has earned the room in Tallahassee.
“He's embraced the expectations and I think he's definitely earned all the respect of these guys and he's a guy's played a lot of college football,” said Norvell, “but definitely playing at a high level right now.”
Daniels did have a chance to flash what he can do late last season at Auburn, and he made those snaps count. Against No.
15 Vanderbilt, he completed 31 of 44 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-38 loss. In the Iron Bowl, he piled up 367 total yards, with 259 through the air and 108 on the ground, while adding one touchdown and one interception in a 27-20 loss to Alabama.
That stretch came after a spring in which confidence was still an issue. Daniels said the turnaround has been personal as much as anything else.
“Confidence, that is something you guys are gonna hear me say a lot, but that’s something that’s been so huge for me,” said Daniels. “I think early on in my career, and even early on in the spring, I struggled a little bit just finding that confidence.”
Florida State opens the season on August 29 against New Mexico State, but the first real measuring-stick game for Daniels comes Sept. 7, when the Seminoles host SMU.
In Other News...
Florida State Has A New Quarterback Battle Fans Need To Watch
Fall camp has given Florida State a fresh subplot under center, and it involves a newcomer who arrived only in May. Junior transfer Malachi Marshall has drawn attention from Mike Norvell for the way he has thrown the ball and for how quickly he has absorbed the offense, making him one of the more interesting developments as the Seminoles sort through their quarterback room.
Behind presumed starter Ashton Daniels, the backup job is still very much up for grabs, and that has put Marshall in direct competition with sophomore Kevin Sperry. With the season getting closer and the depth chart still unsettled, Florida State has a legitimate battle to monitor in the weeks ahead, one that could reshape how the Seminoles feel about their quarterback insurance policy. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Suddenly Has A Secondary Problem Tony White Must Solve
Florida States secondary took another hit with Karson Hobbs going down in camp, forcing the Seminoles to rework a part of the defense that had already been under the microscope. Hobbs was expected to help stabilize the nickel spot, and his absence leaves defensive coordinator Tony White with one less experienced option as he tries to sort out how the back end fits together.
The immediate answer appears to be Duke transfer MaKhi Jones, who is now the presumptive starter at nickel. But the larger issue is what comes behind him, because the depth chart there is suddenly thin and the staff may have to shuffle personnel to keep the defense balanced. For White, it is the kind of adjustment that can ripple through the entire secondary before the season even gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Is Giving Sebastian Janikowski A Rare Program Honor
Florida State is preparing to put one of its most recognizable special-teams stars in a class of his own. The university announced that Sebastian Janikowski will have his No. 38 jersey retired during the Seminoles 2026 season opener against New Mexico State, adding a rare layer of distinction to a player who was already an All-American and a two-time Lou Groza Award winner during his run in Tallahassee from 1997 to 1999.
Janikowski went on to a long NFL career, most notably with the Raiders, but his Florida State legacy has never really faded in the building at Doak Campbell Stadium. He will be officially honored with an in-game recognition as part of the ceremony, a fitting stage for a program that does not hand out jersey retirements often and clearly views this as one of its special nods to a former standout. [Read more 🡒]