Florida State will be without Darryll Desir when it takes on Virginia, a notable development as the Seminoles continue sorting through their early-season roster.
The football conversation around FSU this week also includes a fresh national quarterback ranking from ESPN’s Bill Connelly. Ashton Daniels landed at No. 36 among all 68 Power 4 starting quarterbacks, which placed him sixth in the ACC.
Connelly slotted Darian Mensah at No. 1, followed by Lincoln Kienholz at No. 10, Kevin Jennings at No.
11, Beau Pribula at No. 24, Ethan Grunkemeyer at No.
25, Gio Lopez at No. 27 and Mason Heintschel at No. 28.
The numbers Connelly attached to Daniels help explain the profile. His spring ranking was 38th, with a Total QBR of 75.6, 928 passing yards, 190 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns.
FSU’s offense, as Connelly described it, is built on explosive plays. The Seminoles sit 87th in success rate, but they’ve produced gains of 20 yards or more on 10.6% of their snaps, which ranks fourth.
Ousmane Kromah has been a factor in that style with his ability to break tackles and pop big runs, while Daniels has leaned into a high-variance passing approach. He’s averaging 16.0 yards per completion, though the completion rate remains low.
It adds up to an attack that can be electric, but not always steady.
On the baseball side, Florida State has locked in one more piece of its 2026 Fall Ball schedule. The Seminoles will face USF in Clearwater later this month, completing a slate that now includes five events.
Three of those will be held at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee and two will take place in professional ballparks around Florida. The home portion begins with Jacksonville on Friday, October 16, at 5 p.m.
ET, followed by North Florida on Saturday, October 17, at 1 p.m. The fall wraps up with the Garnet & Gold All-Star Game on Friday, October 30, at 6 p.m., and Fan Day is set to follow the October 17 game against UNF.
FSU’s first Fall Ball outing comes against Auburn in Pensacola on Saturday, October 10, at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m.
CT. That will be the third straight year the Seminoles have played a fall game at Blue Wahoos Stadium, and only a limited number of tickets remain for the matchup at the home of the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
In Other News...
Florida States Latest Injury Report Could Change Everything Against Virginia
Florida State and Virginia both trimmed and trimmed again on the eve of their ACC matchup, and the availability report now looks more like a depth chart stress test than a routine pregame update. The Seminoles added linebacker Noah LaVallee to the injured list, bringing their total to 11 players out, even as several others were upgraded to probable and cleared from the report.
Virginias side of the equation is just as fluid, with running back Peyton Lewis and offensive lineman Grant Ellinger moved to out, while defensive end Devon Baxter is listed as doubtful. With a combined 25 players ruled out, the game now carries a different kind of edge, because these late changes could reshape how both teams manage the line of scrimmage and handle the physical demands of a conference night. [Read more 🡒]
Danny Kanell Just Put FSUs Mike Norvell Tension In Focus
Danny Kanells latest take on Florida State landed squarely in the middle of a familiar tension around the program: expectation versus reality. The former Seminoles quarterback pointed to the negative mood among fans and the pressure now sitting on Mike Norvells shoulders, while also noting that an 8-4 season is a plausible benchmark for this group. He framed it as a program that should be operating near the top of the ACC, especially with the budget resources FSU has at its disposal.
Kanells bigger point was about what comes next if the results do not match the investment. Florida States spending should, in his view, make the Seminoles competitive in league play, and if that level of support still does not produce the needed return, the conversation around the program gets much sharper. For Norvell, that keeps the spotlight on more than just wins and losses, because the expectation in Tallahassee is tied to how much the school is putting into the roster and staff around him. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Faces A Road Test That Will Reveal A Lot
Virginia arrives as a far more established road challenge than a casual glance at the schedule might suggest. Under Tony Elliott in his fifth year, the Cavaliers have shown steady improvement, and last seasons 11-win finish gave this matchup a different kind of edge. Florida State is getting a look at a team that can lean on an experienced offensive line, protect the football with efficiency, and keep drives moving with a quarterback who can beat defenses both through the air and on the ground.
Beau Pribulas dual-threat ability gives Virginia a layer of flexibility that has become hard to ignore, while the defense has matched that progress by holding opponents to just 14 points per game. Trey Kelleher of Streaking the Lawn frames the Cavaliers as a group with real strengths and a few areas where change could still come, which is exactly why this trip matters for Florida State. It is the kind of road test that can tell you plenty about where a team stands before the season gets much deeper. [Read more 🡒]