Florida State may not have played a snap of the 2026 season yet, but its projected QB1 and WR1 already sound like they’re operating from the same script.
That matters for a Seminoles offense that’s set to look very different next fall. Transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels is in line to take over under center after coming over from Auburn, while Duce Robinson is back after drawing NFL Draft interest and choosing to keep sharpening his game in Tallahassee.
Robinson, speaking at ACC Football Kickoff, made it clear he likes what he’s seen from Daniels - not just as a passer, but as the kind of presence a team can build around. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound receiver has now caught passes from four different quarterbacks over the last four seasons, and he said Daniels stands out in that group.
"This is going to be my fourth quarterback in four years. Ashton is among the best.
Ashton has been absolutely fantastic with everything he's done since the very first day he showed up," Robinson said. "I knew Ashton way before, and we had started to form a friendship, but ever since he's shown up on campus, that dude has been every single thing you would want in a quarterback."
The feeling appears to be mutual. Earlier in the day, Daniels offered a similarly strong endorsement of Robinson, pointing to the receiver’s work away from the field and the way teammates respond to him.
"No one has been like Duce Robinson. It's more so who he is off the field and the work that he puts in every single day; it's so special," Daniels said.
"From the day that I stepped into the facility, I could tell this is the guy, everyone looks up to this guy, and he's the leader of this team... All you gotta do is put it in his range, and he's going to come down with it.
He makes my job easy."
Robinson also said the vibe around the program feels different as Florida State heads into 2026 after a disappointing 2025 season.
"I'm really excited about the energy around the team," Robinson continued. "It just feels different. There's a buzz, there's an excitement, there's just a buy-in throughout the guys."
That trust between quarterback and receiver is going to matter fast for a Florida State offense trying to reset itself. The Seminoles will keep building toward fall camp, with the season opener against New Mexico State set for August 29.
In Other News...
Florida State Just Made A Quarterback Decision Fans Will Debate
Ashton Daniels has spent enough time in college football to know how quickly a quarterback can be judged, and now he gets the biggest stage of his career at Florida State. The transfer from Stanford and Auburn arrives with plenty of experience and a mixed rsum, but also with the kind of edge that comes from hearing doubt follow him around. He has leaned into that skepticism before, and the Seminoles are betting his path has prepared him for the pressure that comes with running a program that expects to win.
Daniels also walks into a roster that looks very different from the one fans remember, with more than half the team new and only two returning offensive starters. Even so, he has sounded encouraged by the culture he found and by the talent around him, especially a group that is still sorting out its identity. For Daniels, the challenge is bigger than simply settling in at quarterback. It is about proving he can meet Florida States standard while helping a new-look offense come together quickly. [Read more 🡒]
The Job Security Bar For Mike Norvell Just Got Very Real
Mike Norvell is heading into his seventh season in Tallahassee with the kind of pressure that tends to follow a coach after back-to-back losing years. Florida States 13-0 regular season in 2023 still stands as the high-water mark of the Norvell era, but the Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff after Jordan Travis went down, then dropped the Orange Bowl, and the program has spent the time since trying to regain its footing.
The latest reminder of how sharp the spotlight has become came from CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell, who put a clear standard on Norvells future. Florida State has a demanding 2026 slate ahead, and the conversation around the season is no longer just about improvement or momentum, but about how many wins it will take before the school feels comfortable keeping the staff in place for another year. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Finally Honors One Of The Most Beloved Voices Ever
For more than four decades, Gene Deckerhoff was part of the soundtrack at Florida State, calling football and mens basketball through some of the programs biggest moments and becoming one of the most familiar voices in Seminoles history. The university has now chosen to recognize that run in a way that fits the setting, with head coach Mike Norvell delivering the news to Deckerhoff during a ceremony and praising what he meant to the program.
Deckerhoff retired from Florida State broadcasts after the 2022 spring game, but he is not done behind a microphone just yet. He will continue calling Tampa Bay Buccaneers games in what he says will be his final season there, while FSU makes room for his name in the stadium where so many of his calls lived. [Read more 🡒]