Desirrio Riles is about to walk out of the Doak Campbell Stadium tunnel for real, and that’s the kind of moment he’s been picturing since he was a kid in Jacksonville pulling for Florida State.
Earlier this month, the nerves were already there. Riles felt them before a Florida State practice at Doak Campbell Stadium, even though it was only a scrimmage and not the opener that awaits on Aug. 29 against New Mexico State.
“It was crazy running out of the tunnel for the scrimmage,” Riles told me earlier this month. “I felt some jitters.”
That reaction makes sense. This is the school he grew up rooting for.
This is the garnet and gold he watched on TV. This is where Kelvin Benjamin and Dalvin Cook were his favorite players back in the day.
Now he’s the one in the building, expected to step in as Florida State’s starting tight end after three seasons at East Carolina and a transfer that moved fast once the portal opened.
Riles arrived in Tallahassee with a reputation for versatility and a history of doing a little bit of everything. At University Christian, he put together a 50-game prep career that included 2,803 passing yards and 27 touchdowns, 1,261 rushing yards and 24 scores on 304 carries, plus 15 sacks.
His final high school game, a 34-29 state semifinal loss to Clearwater Catholic in December 2022, might have been his best all-around performance. He caught four passes for 129 yards that night.
“My best all-round (high school) game,” he said.
By the time he got to college, the position switch was already in motion. East Carolina brought him in as a tight end/three-star recruit in 2023, and he spent his first two seasons learning the job.
He caught nine passes in 229 snaps as a freshman, then eight more with two touchdowns in 340 snaps as a sophomore. Last year, he broke through with six catches for 49 yards in the opener at N.C.
State and finished the season with 28 receptions for 362 yards and two touchdowns.
Does he miss quarterback?
“I do every once in a while,” he said. “But my journey is now at tight end. But (playing quarterback) has helped me a lot in understanding the coverages and the leverage of defensive backs and safeties.”
That background is part of why Florida State wanted him. Mike Norvell sees more than a pass catcher.
“You see a guy who really is a natural play-maker,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said.
Norvell also pointed to the full package Riles can bring.
“Watching him (at East Carolina), we saw a guy who had great production, but also had huge potential for more and not just talking about him as a receiver, but the things he’s able to do in the run game as a blocker.”
The move to Florida State came together quickly. Riles entered the portal on Dec. 29, visited FSU on Jan. 4, and committed two days later after also visiting Ole Miss.
“(FSU) being a home team, they had some coaches I talked to when I was in high school,” Riles said. “It felt great (to be recruited by FSU).
When they reached out to me, it felt like the best thing in the world to me. The culture and standard at Florida State, I wanted to be a part of that brotherhood.”
At FSU, the assignment is clear: become the kind of tight end who never has to leave the field. That means sharpening the blocking and cleaning up the footwork so he isn’t just a receiver wearing a tight end number.
“(The focus) was manly my blocking and getting my footwork better and not be one-dimensional,” he said. “I want to be able to do everything in the offense: Block, run after the catch, make plays down the field.”
Riles looks the part at a listed 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, and Norvell believes the size and athleticism can show up in the run game and on the perimeter.
“That’s what you’ve seen from spring practice and into the fall,” Norvell said of Riles’ blocking. “He’s making that a part of his game and when you add to that (the fact that) he’s a really impressive athlete who can do things on the perimeter, it’s exciting.”
Riles got a small preview of what his FSU future might feel like earlier this month on the UNF campus, where practice was closed to the media but he still had an audience. His mom, two younger brothers and a friend were there, and he made sure they saw plenty.
“I had to put on a show for them,” Riles said.
Details?
“Scored twice,” he said. “Bunch of catches.”
Now comes the bigger show, the one he’s waited for since childhood. For Riles, playing for Florida State isn’t just a transfer stop. It’s the home-team dream, and he plans to lean into it.
“Do my best and try and put on a show,” he said.
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Florida States Biggest 2026 Question Is All About Where The Money Went
Florida State spent the offseason trying to rebuild its roster with real financial muscle, pouring more than $20 million into the team while putting a clear emphasis on skill-position help. The Seminoles also kept Mike Norvell for a seventh season, even as The Athletics coaching evaluation slid him down a tier from where he stood in 2024, a reminder that this reset is being judged as much by results as by the size of the investment.
The more interesting part is how that money was distributed, because the quarterback spot appears to have been treated differently than the rest of the roster. Ashton Daniels enters as the starter, but he was slotted below several quarterbacks Florida State brought in during the offseason, leaving the Seminoles with an expensive roster and a lingering question about whether the most important position on it was funded at the same level as everything else. [Read more 🡒]
Florida States Backfield Just Earned Respect Now Comes The Hard Part
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For Kromah and Wisner, the watch list is only the beginning of the conversation. Both enter the season with the kind of resume and expectations that make them central to what Florida State wants to be, but preseason recognition also brings a different kind of pressure. The question now is not whether the Seminoles have talent in the backfield, but whether that talent can hold up once the games start and the spotlight gets brighter. [Read more 🡒]
Florida States Quarterback Battle Could Decide Norvells Offense Again
Mike Norvell has made a habit of leaning on transfer quarterbacks, and Florida States latest spring and summer conversation is again centered on who can handle the job best in his offense. Ashton Daniels, a two-time transfer from Stanford and Auburn, is in that mix now, bringing athleticism and a history of efficient play in limited opportunities. The fit is easy to see for a Seminoles team that returns enough around him to make the position battle especially important.
Daniels still has room to grow, but the ingredients around him could help him settle in quickly if he can protect the football and keep developing as a passer. Florida States rushing attack and receiving corps should give Norvell options either way, which is why this quarterback competition feels bigger than a simple depth-chart decision. If Daniels can translate the flashes he showed at Auburn into steadier production, the offense may have a different look again this fall. [Read more 🡒]