Florida State heads into its trip to No. 10 Alabama with a few key questions still hanging over the program, and Mike Norvell spent Monday laying out where things stand.
The biggest immediate concern is health. Freshman linebacker Izayia Williams is expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, and Norvell confirmed that on Monday. Williams had already dealt with a torn ACL during his senior year of high school, and Norvell said he has “been dealing with some things” before suffering “an issue this past week.”
Williams, a four-star member of Norvell’s 2026 signing class and a top-150 player in the 247Composite, had logged 25 snaps through Florida State’s first two games. Seven of those came on defense in the opener against New Mexico State, with the rest on special teams.
He won’t be the only young linebacker sidelined. Daylen Green, another freshman backer who played 12 special teams snaps over the first two weeks, also will miss the rest of the year after getting hurt “in the last game,” according to Norvell.
Senior linebacker Blake Nichelson is dealing with his own setback. He sat out Florida State’s Week 1 loss to SMU after appearing in 37 total snaps in the opener, and Norvell said Nichelson is now expected to miss “an extended period of time.”
“We are expecting him back this year,” Norvell said of Nichelson. “But he will miss a significant amount over these next few weeks”
At quarterback, Ashton Daniels is still trying to settle in. Through two games, the fifth-year passer has completed 58 percent of his throws, averaged 6.5 yards per attempt, and thrown two touchdowns with one interception. Florida State has kept things fairly cautious with him, aiming to limit the kind of turnovers that have followed him at previous stops, but the result has been a passing game that hasn’t consistently threatened downfield.
Norvell described Daniels’ early stretch as part of the process, stressing that the quarterback has kept working through the bumps.
“it's still about getting up and going and taking the steps that are necessary.”
Norvell said Daniels has not let the adversity of the season weigh him down. He pointed specifically to practice last Thursday, calling it a “very competitive day,” and said Daniels took “hold” of the areas Norvell had challenged him on.
“I was really pleased with Ashton and how he went about last week,” Norvell said. “The ownership he takes and the things that he can control, and then obviously, other things that he can't control, continuing to make sure that he's ready in all those moments for him to do his job.
I think he's done a really nice job in the last week of that. Plus everything he's done since he's been here to be able to earn that opportunity.”
Norvell also addressed the lack of production between Daniels and Duce Robinson. The All-ACC receiver has only 10 targets, five catches, and 75 yards so far, and Norvell said improving that connection is going to take work from several angles.
“You want to be able to make sure that you're putting them in a position to be able to get favorable matchups, favorable space. Making sure that if there's coverages that are trying to roll to individuals, how can you move them around to make sure he's getting opportunities,” Norvell said. “And then when he gets targeted, give him the chance to go do what he does, as well as when the ball comes his way, he's got to go be it, too.
“So it's really everybody involved in that,” he continued. “And there are some times that we've also got to make sure that we're giving Ashton time to get the ball to him. There's a couple times last week that, that was where we were going, and unfortunately, just didn't have the time to get the ball out.”
The bigger picture for Florida State is confidence, and Norvell made clear he believes his team can carry it into Tuscaloosa. He acknowledged the disappointment of last Monday night’s loss to SMU, when the Seminoles came up short despite turnover issues for the Mustangs, special teams mistakes, and chances to steal the game at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Still, he said his belief in the team has not changed.
“For us, our focus is all on this week, and you build confidence throughout the week of work - last week, this week, through all the things that we've done from January,” he said. “We had a disappointing result last Monday night, and it's something that nobody wanted, nobody thought - when you go into games, you don't think of, 'Hey, things will happen this way or that way.' But you do get to respond to it, and it doesn't change my perspective on my belief for this football.”
Norvell’s bottom line was simple.
“just have to be better.”
He said the Seminoles have approached the last two weeks of practice the right way, and that the challenge now is to carry that work onto the field against Alabama. Florida State knows what it’s walking into, but it also has the memory of beating the Crimson Tide a year ago - and Norvell believes the preparation since January gives his team a reason to head into the weekend with confidence.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell's Future Suddenly Hangs On Florida State's Next Stretch
Florida States season has already turned into a referendum on Mike Norvell, with the Seminoles now entering a stretch that could shape his future in Tallahassee. The path forward is not especially complicated: if the team steadies itself, shows real progress and gets to bowl eligibility, Norvell could keep his job and give the administration a reason to let the evaluation continue.
Mike Norvells margin for error, though, is clearly thin enough that a prolonged slide could force an even quicker decision. A major losing streak could put a midseason dismissal on the table, while a finish that never really improves would leave the more likely outcome of a change after the season. Finances will matter, as they always do in a coaching search, but so will the risk of moving too late and making the next hire even harder to pull off. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Faces An Early Test That Could Change The Narrative
Florida States next trip carries a little more weight than a standard September road game. The Seminoles are headed to face Alabama on Sept. 19 in a matchup that will be on ABC, and the Crimson Tide enter at No. 12 with a 2-0 record after beating Kentucky 45-17. With Alabama favored, it is the sort of early-season test that can either steady a program or keep the questions swirling.
For Florida State, the challenge is not just the opponent but the setting. The Seminoles have had trouble away from home, and this game arrives with the kind of national attention that can sharpen the scrutiny even more. If they can make it competitive, it would say something about where this team is headed, even before the calendar turns deeper into the season. [Read more 🡒]