Florida State may have caught a break in the form of Kevin Jennings’ finger injury, but it doesn’t look like the kind that swings Week 1. The SMU quarterback is expected to be limited for 1-2 weeks after hurting his finger on Friday “at some point after practice,” according to On3’s Pete Nakos.
That matters for fall camp, sure. It just may not matter much once the season starts.
Jennings is heading into his third year as Rhett Lashlee’s starter, and that kind of familiarity tends to smooth over a few missed reps. By the time SMU comes to Doak Campbell Stadium on September 7, the senior should be ready to roll.
The bigger reason this doesn’t feel like a game-changing setback is that Florida State and SMU are in very different places offensively. The Seminoles are breaking in their third straight veteran transfer quarterback since Jordan Travis’s career ended abruptly in 2023, and 2026 will be Ashton Daniels’ first and only year in Mike Norvell’s offense. Every preseason snap matters for Florida State.
SMU’s situation is less fragile. The Mustangs did make a change at offensive coordinator this offseason, promoting receivers coach Rob Likens after Casey Woods left to become the head coach at Missouri State, but Lashlee remains the one calling the plays. The more significant staff change is on defense.
Even with that stability, the Mustangs do have real turnover at the skill spots. Jennings lost his top two receivers from last season, Jordan Hudson and Romello Brinson, along with All-ACC tight end Matthew Hibner and running backs TJ Harden and Chris Johnson Jr. That means extra work is needed to build timing with a new cast.
Yamir Knight is the main returner in that group, and he caught 54 passes for 637 yards and five touchdowns last season. Still, college football rosters change fast, and Jennings had the spring to start building chemistry with his new targets. If this injury really only costs him two weeks, he should still have enough time to be in rhythm by Week 1.
For Florida State, the larger issue is not whether SMU gets a small bump in camp. It’s that the Seminoles desperately need to start fast in a season that already looks brutal. They play only eight ACC games because of the league’s uneven scheduling, but the slate still looks like one of the toughest in the conference.
SMU opens the run, and October could decide everything for Norvell. Florida State hosts Virginia on October 3, goes to Louisville on short rest for a Friday night game, then heads to Miami, the league’s prohibitive favorite, before closing that stretch by hosting Clemson on Halloween.
A 2-2 mark in that October gauntlet would be acceptable. 4-0 would be a massive ask. If the Seminoles beat New Mexico State in Week 0, take care of SMU in Week 1, lose to Alabama in Week 3, and then handle Central Arkansas in Week 4, they’d reach that October stretch at 5-2 and still be pointed toward a bowl game.
But if Florida State drops the opener to SMU and comes out of October at 4-4, with the ACC title race out of reach, Norvell’s pressure only ramps up. There are plenty of ways this season could unfold, but one thing is clear: SMU is a swing game. Jennings’ injury doesn’t change that.
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FSU Has A Freak Athlete Fans May Soon See Very Differently
Florida State has spent a good chunk of camp trying to sort out what its offense will look like as Ashton Daniels keeps settling in at quarterback, and Mike Norvell said after the second scrimmage that the progress is there even if the whole operation still needs more consistency. Around him, the program has had a little bit of everything lately, from Eric Luallen being named the new public address voice for FSU football to recruiting activity that included 2028 defensive lineman Prince Che visiting Tallahassee, all while the soccer team gets ready to open against Stetson.
One of the more intriguing subplots, though, is Micahi Danzy, whose development keeps turning heads for reasons that go well beyond the football field. He has added notable physical growth and paired it with a standout track resume, including an ACC and Florida State record in the 400-meter run, and his athletic profile is drawing real national attention as a player who may soon be viewed in a much different way by Seminoles fans. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Just Landed Two Huge Chances In A Key Recruiting Battle
Florida State has picked up a pair of important chances in the race for one of the nations most coveted young defenders. Prince Che, a highly regarded defensive lineman out of Thomasville, Georgia, is set to hit campus twice this fall, giving the Seminoles multiple opportunities to make their case to a recruit who already has 38 offers and plenty of attention from major programs.
For Florida State, the calendar matters almost as much as the player. The staff sees those visits as key moments in its push for the 2028 class, and Ches return trip later in the fall should only add to the intrigue surrounding a recruitment that is still very much taking shape. With so many programs in the mix, every visit counts, and the Seminoles have lined up two of the most meaningful ones they could ask for. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Faces A Hidden Offensive Question After Tommy Castellanos
Tommy Castellanos gave Florida State a steadier edge on passing downs than the overall record suggested, and that mattered in a 5-7 season that still had pockets of offensive competence. The Seminoles were fifth nationally in passing success rate on those snaps, a useful sign that when the playbook narrowed and the pressure rose, the passing game could still function well enough to keep drives alive.
Now the job shifts to Ashton Daniels, the Auburn transfer expected to take over, and the question is less about raw talent than fit. Daniels brings a different profile as both a passer and a runner, which makes Florida States late-down offense a moving target heading into the next chapter, especially if the Seminoles are trying to preserve the kind of efficiency they found before. [Read more 🡒]