Florida State may already have its next offensive problem for opposing defenses in Duce Robinson.
Robinson came out of his first season in Tallahassee as one of the ACC’s top receivers, finishing 2025 with 56 catches for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns. But the rising senior didn’t spend the offseason sitting on that production. After passing on the NFL Draft, he went back to work with a clear goal: becoming a more complete receiver.
Mike Norvell thinks that work has already shown up.
Less than two weeks before Florida State opens against New Mexico State, the Seminoles coach said Monday that Robinson has taken a noticeable step forward during the offseason and fall camp.
“I met with him there last week, and I told him, watching him, he’s a better receiver right now than he was at any point last year,” Norvell said after Monday's practice. “Now it’s just continuing to grow, develop, and make sure there’s consistency in all of it, regardless of what shows up... The fact that he has confidence in what he’s doing, but also an understanding of how to do it and the variations of things that he can utilize, I just think it’s really big for his game.”
That growth matters because Florida State doesn’t appear interested in treating Robinson like a one-trick threat. Norvell said the Seminoles are using him all over the formation now, instead of parking him in one spot and daring defenses to adjust.
“Today, just as a whole, I think you saw Duce line up in almost every spot that we have across the offensive formations,” Norvell continued. “If you just play one spot, if you just line up in one place, there are a lot of good defenses that can take away one player. But if you’re able to move them and keep them off balance with what to expect, it makes them at least work.”
That kind of deployment could make Robinson even harder to handle. At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, he already gives defenses a miserable assignment, and last season he showed he can win on the perimeter too, including five games with at least 120 receiving yards.
If the expanded role sticks, it should open up more chances for Robinson while forcing defenses to adjust their coverages instead of locking onto the same look over and over.
And with attention sure to follow him everywhere, Florida State may have other playmakers ready to cash in. Norvell pointed to Micahi Danzy, who hit multiple big plays during Monday’s practice, and also mentioned the versatility of Jasen Lopez, Jayvan Boggs, and Tae’Shawn Gelsey.
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Luke Kromenhoeks move to USF has put the former Seminole in the middle of one of the more closely watched quarterback competitions in the state. He is battling transfer Michael Van Buren Jr. for the starting job heading into the 2026 season, and the two bring different backgrounds from previous Power 4 programs, giving the Bulls a pair of options as they sort out the most important spot on the field.
Head coach Brian Hartline said both quarterbacks are competing strongly and pushing each other to improve, which is exactly the kind of pressure USF wanted when it brought in experienced transfers. No official decision has been announced for the season opener, and for now the competition remains open as Kromenhoek tries to turn this chance into a defining step in his college career. [Read more 🡒]
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Steens path to Florida State was already unusual, with three seasons at Florida Southern before he spent his senior year in Tallahassee. He had been preparing to move on to a professional career, but the lawsuit has opened the door to one more possible college run, leaving Florida State fans to wonder whether a player who was already headed for the next level could end up back in garnet and gold. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Norvell Faces New Pressure After Florida States Latest Poll Snub
Florida States latest preseason AP Poll result landed with a familiar thud, and it comes at a time when the program is still trying to reestablish itself among the sports upper tier. The Seminoles were left unranked in the 2026 preseason poll, continuing a recent pattern that has kept them outside the top 25 more often than not and reinforced how much ground remains to be made up in the national conversation.
For Mike Norvell, the snub adds another layer of pressure entering the season. It is the fifth time in seven seasons his teams have begun unranked, a mark that now exceeds the number of preseason top-25 omissions under Bobby Bowden. With Miami, SMU and Louisville representing the ACC in the poll, Florida State again finds itself chasing league peers before the games even begin. [Read more 🡒]