Florida State’s 2-2 start has already trimmed the room for error, but the Seminoles are not staring at a closed ACC road. The loss at SMU left them 0-1 in league play, and the 50-36 defeat at Alabama wiped out another chance to stack national momentum. Still, with seven conference games left, the path to Charlotte is open enough for Mike Norvell to keep pointing forward.
That confidence isn’t coming out of nowhere. Duke reached the 2025 ACC Championship Game at 7-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play before beating Virginia 27-20 in overtime to claim its first outright ACC title since 1962. That’s the backdrop for Florida State’s belief that September doesn’t have to define the season.
“I absolutely believe that everything is in front of us,” Norvell said following FSU’s 34-7 win over Central Arkansas. “This is a talented league, but every week is going to present new opportunities, different challenges that you’ll face.”
Florida State got back to 2-2 with that win and now turns back to ACC play starting with Virginia. The pieces are there for the Seminoles to shape their own path, and a few of them already stand out.
Ousmane Kromah is quickly becoming the kind of runner Florida State can build around. Through four games, Pro Football Focus gives him an 86.9 rushing grade, fourth nationally among running backs with at least 50 carries. He has turned 64 rushes into 397 yards, a 6.2-yard average, and five touchdowns.
The bigger story is how he’s getting those yards. Kromah has produced 252 yards after contact, averaged 3.94 yards after contact per attempt and forced 22 missed tackles.
Against Central Arkansas, he needed only 11 carries to pile up 86 yards and two scores. With Samuel Singleton Jr. out for an extended period, Kromah has a real chance to become the offense’s anchor instead of just another option.
Ashton Daniels does not need to turn into a one-man show, but Florida State does need steadier play from him. The explosive throws were there Saturday.
Daniels finished 12 of 18 for 224 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seminoles averaged 8.7 yards per play. His 29-yard touchdown to Duce Robinson and 34-yard strike to Jayvan Boggs showed what this offense can look like when it hits.
The problem is the throw he forced before halftime, another turnover that can’t keep showing up in conference play. Norvell said afterward that Daniels rushed the play and that both the quarterback and the running back needed to be better on it.
Florida State can live with mistakes in a game here and there. It cannot live with long stretches where those mistakes swallow the good snaps.
There’s also more optimism in the pass rush than the sack total suggests. Florida State has six sacks through four games, but PFF credits the Seminoles with 62 pressures overall, along with 12 quarterback hits and 44 hurries.
Rylan Kennedy has seven pressures and two sacks on 85 pass-rushing snaps. Jalen Anderson leads the team with nine pressures, and Deamontae Diggs has added five hurries.
The Desir twins are part of that picture too. Mandrell Desir has six pressures, including a sack, a hit and four hurries.
Darryll Desir has played fewer snaps but owns a 76.1 PFF pass-rush grade. The challenge now is turning all that disruption into drive-ending production.
The secondary may be the area that needs the sharpest improvement. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 90 of 126 passes against Seminoles defenders, a 71.4% completion rate, according to PFF’s coverage chart. Florida State has allowed 1,160 yards and eight touchdowns while picking off three passes and breaking up eight others.
Some individual numbers tell the story plainly. Ma’khi Jones has allowed 13 catches on 16 targets for 240 yards.
Ashlynd Barker has given up 10 receptions on 11 targets. Chris Jones has been targeted eight times and allowed eight completions.
There are bright spots, though. Nehemiah Chandler has allowed five catches on eight targets with an interception and a 34.4 NFL passer rating when targeted.
Quindarrius Jones has allowed four catches on eight targets and also has an interception. Florida State doesn’t need a perfect secondary.
It just needs tighter windows and a little more resistance so the pass rush has a better shot at finishing plays.
That’s the larger point behind Norvell’s message. The Seminoles are 0-1 in conference play, but that’s a setback, not a dead end. Duke showed last season that an ACC race can shift late, and Florida State still has Virginia, Louisville and Miami ahead.
The talent is there: a productive runner, explosive passing potential, pressure coming off the edge and defenders who can make plays. The question now is whether all of it starts clicking together.
“It’s all in front of us,” Norvell said.
At 2-2, Florida State doesn’t have the luxury of daydreaming too far ahead. But the ACC calendar still gives the Seminoles a chance to make the season their own.
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Virginia is the next chance to keep that path alive, and it comes at a time when Florida State is still sorting through the broader leadership picture with a new athletic director search underway. Between the buyout savings tied to any decision and the uncertainty at the top of the department, this is more than just another conference game for the Seminoles - it has become a pivotal checkpoint in how the rest of the season might be judged. [Read more 🡒]