Florida State’s quarterback situation is already drawing plenty of outside skepticism, and Ashton Daniels is the name at the center of it.
Athlon Sports senior college football editor Steven Lassan recently stacked up the ACC’s quarterbacks heading into the 2026 season, and Daniels came in at No. 13. That leaves the Seminoles’ starter with only four quarterbacks ranked behind him in the league, a placement that underscores how little national buzz he’s getting right now.
Inside Florida State, though, the view is much different. Mike Norvell has made it clear he believes Daniels can be a difference-maker.
“Just his ownership of the offense, understanding where to go, you know, the things of what to do, how he's been able to perform. I think he's done a really good job,” Norvell said. “And has been highly efficient and explosive in the things we've asked him to do.”
Lassan wasn’t as convinced, even while acknowledging the fit. He wrote, “Daniels’ athleticism and experience should fit coach Mike Norvell’s offense in 2026, but question marks remain about the upside of this pairing,” and pointed to Daniels’ 6.6 career yards per attempt along with 22 interceptions on 721 attempts. Lassan’s bigger question was simple: “Will Daniels deliver enough consistency in the passing game for this offense to thrive?”
That kind of ranking is not exactly what Florida State fans wanted to see, especially with Norvell entering the year under heavy pressure and widely viewed as sitting on the hottest seat in college football. If Daniels doesn’t elevate the offense, the concern is that 2026 could start looking a lot like the Seminoles’ last two seasons.
The schedule doesn’t make things any easier. Florida State is set to face four quarterbacks in Lassan’s ACC top five.
That group includes Miami’s Darian Menah, who is ranked No. 1 and will face the Seminoles on Oct. 17; SMU’s Kevin Jennings, Lassan’s No. 2 quarterback, on Sept.
7; NC State’s C.J. Bailey, ranked No. 4, on Nov. 21; and Pitt’s Mason Heintschel, who rounds out the top five, on Nov.
The Seminoles will also see three more quarterbacks in Lassan’s top 10: Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz at No. 8 on Oct. 9, Virginia’s Beau Pribula at No. 9 on Oct. 3, and Clemson’s Christopher Vizzina at No. 10 on Oct.
- The only quarterback Florida State will face who ranked below Daniels is Boston College’s Mason McKenzie, who came in at No. 16, and that matchup is set for Nov.
The challenges don’t stop with the ACC either. Florida State also plays Alabama, and USA Today’s Blake Toppmeyer has either Keelon Russell or Auston Mack as the No. 8-ranked SEC quarterback, no matter who ends up starting.
Still, not everyone is ready to write Daniels off. Eric Mac Lain, now a college football studio analyst for the ACC Network, thinks Daniels has enough in him to handle the job.
“I think Ashton is gonna do what is needed to be done,” Mac Lain said. “If it's there, he's gonna take it. If the throws there, that's what he's looking for first and escaping to still throw the football.”
Mac Lain’s confidence is tied to a small but eye-catching sample. In Daniels’ final two games of the season against No. 15 and No. 10 Alabama, he threw for 612 yards and 3 touchdowns and added 3 more scores on the ground.
“Can you get the absolute best, the guy that quite frankly, we saw in the last two games of his season at Auburn go nuts,: Mac Lain. “I mean, that guy had like 700 all-purpose yards in two games.
And that's fantastic. And that's against a playoff team, Alabama, SEC champion participant, Alabama.”
For Florida State, that’s the hope: that Daniels can be the quarterback who makes the doubters look wrong. But with so many moving parts around college football in 2026, he’s stepping into a situation that still feels hard to pin down.
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