Florida State heads into Week 3 with more questions than answers, and the trip to No. 10 Alabama will tell the Seminoles plenty about where this team really stands. Through a 1-1 start, they have not looked like a group that’s clicking in any phase, and now they’re walking into one of the toughest tests on the schedule.
At the center of it all is Ashton Daniels, and whether he is actually the answer at quarterback. Daniels has been a constant topic around Florida State because of his job security, his estimated NIL value, and the bigger issue of whether he can run an offense well enough to keep the Seminoles afloat.
He is 6-21 as a starting quarterback after the loss to SMU, and through two games this season he has thrown for 327 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while completing 58% of his passes. He has added 101 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, but the production through the air has not been enough.
Daniels has seen Alabama before. In 2025, while playing for Auburn, he put up 367 total yards and a touchdown against the Crimson Tide, but it still wasn’t enough to win.
Florida State would need something in that range - and probably more - to have a real shot here. And if the Seminoles still aren’t convinced after this one, they do have Central Arkansas coming up, which could open the door for backup Malachi Marshall.
The secondary is another major concern, mostly because the communication has been such a mess. Florida State has been burned repeatedly by blown coverages and receivers running free, and SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings exposed how easy things can get when the back end isn’t on the same page.
Alabama’s Keelon Russell is younger and less experienced, but the talent is obvious. Russell threw two interceptions and lost a fumble against Kentucky last week, so there is at least a path for Florida State to make him uncomfortable if the secondary can finally clean things up.
The problem is doing that against a top team in the country on short notice.
Up front, Florida State still hasn’t found the right offensive line mix. Mike Norvell has spent camp and the early part of the season trying different combinations, but he still doesn’t have five players who fit together the way a functional line should.
Some individual pieces have flashed, but the full unit has not settled, and that instability has fed into the offense’s problems. Alabama will put that group under serious pressure, and this game should make it clear who can handle the load and who can’t.
Then there’s the defensive line, where the investment hasn’t matched the return. Mandrell Desir has drawn plenty of attention for the wrong reasons after entering the transfer portal and coming back to Tallahassee with a much better NIL offer.
But the issue goes beyond one player. Florida State’s top four defensive linemen - Desir, Rylan Kennedy, Kevin Wynn and Daniel Lyons - carry an estimated value of roughly $3.3 million, and they have combined for just 12 tackles and one sack through two games.
That’s nowhere near what the staff expected.
Against Alabama, that group gets a chance to change the conversation, even if the setting is brutal. Desir and Kennedy will be among the players under the microscope, and with Central Arkansas on the schedule in Week 4, Florida State will soon have another opportunity to keep searching for the right mix.
In Other News...
Deion Sanders Leaving Colorado Would Take More Than Florida State Interest
Deion Sanders has Colorado off to a 2-0 start in 2026, a sharp follow-up to the Buffaloes 3-9 finish a year ago, and that alone makes any talk of a possible Florida State reunion more complicated than simple nostalgia. Florida States opening would naturally stir interest because Sanders is still tied to the programs history, but the situation comes with some real-world hurdles, including the buyout attached to his Colorado contract and the kind of control he has built with the Buffaloes.
Colorado has given Sanders the autonomy coaches usually spend years trying to earn, and he would have to weigh that against a return to Tallahassee, where the job landscape is also shifting after recent administrative changes. Even before the money comes into focus, there is the matter of how the school previously handled him, which adds another layer to any pursuit. For now, the Seminoles may need a new coach, but getting Sanders would require more than just mutual interest. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Is Paying Like A Contender Without Looking Like One
Florida State is investing like a program that expects to live in the playoff conversation, with an estimated roster spend somewhere between $23 million and $30 million for its 105-player roster. That figure puts the Seminoles behind only Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech in the ACC spending race, a sign of how aggressively the school has tried to build around football even as the results have not kept pace.
The problem is the return on that money has been hard to see, with Florida State sitting at 8-18 over its last 26 games. The concerns go beyond the overall ledger and into how the dollars are being allocated, especially at quarterback, while the program also works through the leadership vacuum left by the firing of athletic director Michael Alford. For a team spending at that level, the next step is not just more money - it is proving the structure behind it can actually produce wins. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Has 3 Players Who Could Change Everything At Alabama
Florida State heads into Week 3 with a heavyweight test against No. 10 Alabama, and the Seminoles are leaning on a few players who could tilt the matchup in their favor. Running back Ousmane Kromah, defensive back Ja'Bril Rawls and defensive lineman Mandrell Desir all figure to have significant roles as Florida State tries to match up with an Alabama roster that brings size, speed and depth at every level.
The stakes are straightforward for a Seminoles team still looking for steadier play this season: compete cleanly, protect the ball and get impact snaps from the players most capable of swinging the game. Florida State already knows what it looks like to beat Alabama, and the challenge now is proving those flashes were not a one-off while these three try to make their presence felt against one of the sport's toughest opponents. [Read more 🡒]