Florida State is heading into a familiar kind of spotlight this week, and Mike Norvell is making it clear he believes Ashton Daniels is ready for it.
The Seminoles already opened the 2025 season with a 31-17 win over Alabama, and now the rematch shifts to Tuscaloosa. This time, Florida State does not have Tommy Castellanos to lean on.
Castellanos was central to that first victory, piling up 230 total yards and adding a rushing touchdown that helped spark the offense. Instead, the job falls to Daniels, who has experience against the Crimson Tide and now has to help steer the Seminoles through one of the biggest games on the schedule.
Daniels’ start to 2026 has been uneven. After transferring to Tallahassee and winning the starting job, he has thrown for 327 yards, two touchdowns and one interception through two games. Norvell had been critical of him after the loss to SMU, but his tone shifted this week as he pointed to the work Daniels has put in since then.
Norvell said Ashton Daniels has responded really well and has done everything the coaching staff has asked of him in practice.
- Liam Rooney (@__liamrooney) September 16, 2026
Norvell states that Ashton Daniels has done a really good job in what they have challenged him to do in the lead-up to Alabama
"I think he's responded very well." https://t.co/ClMIuIVQL6 pic.twitter.com/eyf8dI2Zpm
- Warchant.com (@Warchant) September 16, 2026
Norvell also said the offensive line and the running backs have been working to give Daniels more help heading into the game. Even so, the quarterback still has to deliver if Florida State wants any real shot at pulling off the upset.
The good news for the Seminoles is that Daniels has already seen Alabama before. In 2025, he started three games for Auburn, and his final start came in a 27-20 loss to the Crimson Tide.
Daniels threw for 259 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and he also ran for 108 yards. His 46.2% completion rate in that game was the lowest of any start he made.
Auburn managed only 44 yards without Daniels’ help against Alabama, which is part of why Florida State will be looking for more support around him this time.
That support could come from Ousmane Kromah, who continues to dominate the ground. And while Alabama proved difficult to crack for most offenses last season, mobile quarterbacks did cause problems at times. Beau Pribula and LaNorris Sellers each found some success against the Crimson Tide, but Daniels was the one who did the most damage on the ground.
His rushing ability is still a real part of his game this season, and if the adjustments Norvell mentioned hold up in practice, Alabama could be dealing with that threat again. For now, Norvell is standing firmly behind his quarterback, and Florida State will need that confidence to translate once the game kicks off.
In Other News...
Mike Norvells Future Just Got More Uncomfortable For Florida State Fans
Public pressure around coaching searches has a way of spilling far beyond the sideline, and Mike Norvell is the latest Florida State coach finding his personal space pulled into the conversation. With speculation about his future already hanging over the program, even something as ordinary as a box truck at his residence becomes part of the surrounding noise, another example of how closely the sport watches coaches when their standing starts to wobble.
Florida State fans have seen this kind of scrutiny before, and college football keeps proving that a coachs job security can become a public spectacle long before any official decision is made. The attention does not stop with football, either, as similar media fascination shows up in basketball and other sports whenever uncertainty builds, which is exactly why every small detail around Norvell now feels bigger than it ought to be. [Read more 🡒]
Florida States 2027 Schedule Just Changed The Mike Norvell Debate
The ACCs release of its 2027 football conference opponents gave Florida State a clearer look at the road ahead, and on paper it shapes up as a manageable slate. The Seminoles are set to host Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami and Stanford, while visiting Cal, Clemson, North Carolina and Syracuse, with the league again scheduling nine conference games and five of them in Tallahassee. Florida State also already has non-conference games lined up against Florida and ETSU, leaving one more out-of-league slot to fill.
Compared with the tougher look of 2026, the 2027 setup stands out as the kind of schedule that can matter when the conversation turns to Mike Norvells future. Florida State will still have to deal with Clemson on the road and Miami coming to town, but the overall balance of the league slate gives the Seminoles a better chance to build momentum, and perhaps a better backdrop for the debate over where the program is headed under Norvell. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State's Mike Norvell Reality Just Got More Complicated
Florida States football turbulence is now tied to a much bigger reset inside the athletic department. University leadership is putting the focus on restructuring the whole operation and strengthening revenue generation and business functions, rather than rushing into a quick verdict on Mike Norvell. For now, the preferred approach is to let the season play out while the administration sorts through how it wants the department to look moving forward.
The timing leaves Norvell in a familiar but uneasy spot, with fan frustration still simmering after the recent losses. Florida State is also preparing to redefine the athletic director role around business expertise and a broader organizational overhaul before naming a successor to the recently dismissed AD, which means the football decision is unfolding inside a larger administrative rewrite. In other words, the coachs future is still very much in play, but it is no longer the only issue driving the conversation. [Read more 🡒]