Florida State’s quarterback picture is getting clearer at the top, but the battle behind Ashton Daniels is still very much alive.
The Seminoles named Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels their starter for the 2026 season shortly after spring practice wrapped, and he’s backed that decision with a strong start to preseason camp. Coaches and teammates have kept praising Daniels for his accuracy and the way he handles the offense, giving Florida State reason to feel good about the move.
The bigger question now is who stands next in line. Sophomore Kevin Sperry and junior Malachi Marshll are locked in a real fight for the backup job, and that competition has tightened as camp has moved along.
Sperry brings the edge in scheme knowledge, but Marshall has made enough of an impression that this no longer looks like a formality. He didn’t arrive in Tallahassee until earlier this summer, missing the Tour of Duty and spring practice, which made it easy to assume he’d be playing catch-up all fall. Instead, the JUCO Player of the Year and national champion has come in prepared and handled the transition well.
“I've been really pleased with the way that he's transitioned. He's a really smart young man,” Norvell said on Monday. “He has studied, even in portions of practice the other day, you felt his ownership of the things that he was being asked to do.”
Florida State’s staff had evaluated Marshall and studied his tape before he got on campus, but camp has been the first real chance to see him up close. That matters at quarterback, where trust is built through repetition and live work, not just through what a player looks like on film.
Norvell said Marshall has made real progress in that area over the last couple of weeks, even if he’s still got a few rough edges.
“When you miss the spring, it's all those reps. You have a quarterback that you want to anticipate, you want to trust what you see, but then it's going to actually happen,” Norvell said.
“I think that's one area that he's grown in these last couple of weeks. He still has some plays here and there, but I'm excited about what he's shown.”
The coach also made it clear that this is a straight-up QB2 battle. Marshall and Sperry both went live against the defense earlier in camp, and Florida State even had Kevin get a couple series during the tackling portion on Saturday.
In recent practices, Marshall has been working directly behind Daniels as the backup in drills, which only adds another layer to the competition.
“It’s an absolute competition and push,” Norvell said. “We gave him an opportunity two weeks ago where he was live, and he got to go show himself in that type of situation. We actually came back and gave Kevin a couple series there on Saturday, during that tackling portion where he was live.”
“I thought that both guys have shown really good skill sets, ability,” Norvell said. “But they're definitely competing.”
Florida State will hold its 16th practice of preseason camp on Tuesday, August 18.
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