Florida State’s linebacker room has taken another hit, but Ernie Sims isn’t sounding rattled.
With starter Blake Nichelson sidelined for an extended stretch, the Seminoles’ linebackers coach said Tuesday that the depth Florida State built into the position is already showing its value.
“This is one of the benefits of what we have with this defense and with this team is the depth in the room. We brought in some guys in the offseason that we feel very confident about and lo and behold, it’s paying off for us.
We got some guys we feel confident about even though we had some guys that went down. So, we’re I think we’re all excited.
Me and the rest of defense staff are excited about the guys are going to step into that new role.”
Florida State’s next game against Central Arkansas is set for Sept. 26 at 3:00 p.m. ET, and the program will mark Family Weekend along with the induction of the 2026 Hall of Fame class.
Elsewhere around the Seminoles’ athletic department, the women’s golf team wrapped up the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in fifth place.
No. 21 Florida State closed at 14-over 302 as a team, finishing at 21-over 885 for the tournament and missing out on match play by two strokes to No.
3 Texas. Wake Forest, South Carolina and Oregon had already locked up the top three spots, leaving Florida State and Texas to battle for the final berth in the third round.
The Seminoles hung around all day in a tight race, but the Longhorns edged them out late despite five combined birdies over the final three holes. Florida State still finished ahead of preseason No. 1 and defending national champion Stanford.
Elin Pudas Remler turned in Florida State’s best round of the day, carding a one-over 73 to tie for 19th. She posted four birdies, including one at No. 9, and climbed seven spots on the leaderboard. Freshman Louise Landgraf also tied for 19th after a two-over 74, her best round of the event, fueled by back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and 8.
Haruhi Nakatani continued to pace the Seminoles, finishing tied for 13th after a five-over 77 and a 221 (+5) total. Alexandra Gazzoli matched that finish as well, shooting six-over 78 and also ending the tournament at 221, helped by birdies on two of her final three holes.
Florida State’s next stop is Norman, Oklahoma, where the Seminoles will play in the Schooner Fall Classic at Belmar Golf Club, hosted by the University of Oklahoma. The 16-team, 54-hole event runs Saturday through Monday, Sept. 19-21, with 18 holes each day.
On the esports side, Florida State Splatoon competed in the Collegiate Splatoon 3 Crews event at the Riptide convention in Sandusky, Ohio. The Seminoles opened with a 3-1 loss to the Goofy Gators from the University of Florida, then bounced back in the loser’s bracket with a 3-0 win over PSU Surfside from Penn State. Their run ended in loser’s finals with a 3-1 defeat to the Bull Squids from the University of South Florida.
Florida State finished ninth out of 24 teams, while GT Gold of Georgia Tech won the event by beating the H-Town Rebels from the University of Houston in the championship match.
Comrade, a post-graduate player for FSU, said he never expected his path to end up in Sandusky. “I didn’t expect it, but I welcome it.
It was a long and nice journey, and I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far without the program. It was one of the reasons I kept pushing.”
In Other News...
Mike Norvells Future Just Got More Uncomfortable For Florida State Fans
The scrutiny around a college football coach can turn every small detail into a talking point, and Mike Norvell is living through that familiar Florida State pressure again. With questions about his future already hanging over the program, even something as ordinary as a box truck at his residence has become part of the conversation, a reminder of how quickly uncertainty around a coach can spill beyond the field and into his personal life.
Norvells situation fits a pattern anyone around the sport recognizes, from the way departures have been tracked in real time before to the constant media attention that follows a coach when the seat gets warm. And it is not limited to football, either, with basketball coaches facing the same kind of public watchfulness when speculation starts to build, leaving the focus less on what is known than on what might happen next. [Read more 🡒]
Florida States Mike Norvell Dilemma Just Made Manny Diaz More Intriguing
Florida States coaching conversation has taken on a familiar shape, with the schools administration reportedly reluctant to absorb a major buyout to move on from Mike Norvell even after recent changes in the athletic department. That matters because any evaluation of the program now runs straight through the financial side of the ledger, where the Seminoles have been willing to spend on roster construction at a level that stands out in the ACC.
Manny Diaz has become a more interesting name in that context because of what he has done at Duke, where he has managed a stronger performance on a much smaller roster budget than Florida States. A recent college football budget report underscored the contrast, and it is exactly the kind of comparison that makes Diaz worth watching if the Seminoles eventually decide they need a different direction, even if the path to that decision is still unclear. [Read more 🡒]
Florida States Upset Shot May Depend On Two Quiet Playmakers
Florida States offense has plenty of familiar names, but the Seminoles may be carrying a little extra upside in two receivers who have not made much noise yet this season. Duce Robinson, an All-American and All-ACC performer, has five catches for 75 yards, while Micahi Danzy has six grabs for 69 yards, and together they have yet to find the end zone. For a team looking to shake up Alabama, getting more out of those two could be part of the answer.
Mike Norvell has not needed to force the issue on every playmaker so far, but the path to an upset may ask for a different approach. Robinson brings the kind of pedigree that can change a game, and Danzy has been steady enough to suggest there is more to tap into. If Florida State is going to threaten the Crimson Tide, its attack may need to lean harder on the receivers who have been waiting for a bigger role. [Read more 🡒]