Florida State is keeping its cards close to the vest heading into Saturday night’s opener against New Mexico State.
The Seminoles will not release a depth chart before the game, a decision first reported by Kolby Crawford of Noles247. Head coach Mike Norvell made it clear last Thursday that he doesn’t see much value in putting one out, pointing to the way FSU mixes and matches personnel.
“As we look at different dynamics of how guys might be utilized in certain packages….if you have four different personnel packages and a guy’s starting in a handful of them and not starting in any others, well is he a starter? Is he not? It’s still kind of up in the air, ” he said.
“Depth charts to me are, whatever they are. And I don’t see really ultimately great value in putting one out and all of it.
FSU and New Mexico State kick off Saturday at 7 p.m., with the game airing on The CW.
The matchup opens Florida State’s 80th football season, and it comes with a familiar note in the history book: the Seminoles and Aggies have met just once before, when FSU shut them out 36-0 in 1964. That victory was part of a three-game shutout streak to start the season for that Seminoles team.
Florida State has been strong in openers over the years, owning a 56-23 (.709) record in season openers and a 60-19 (.759) mark in home openers.
A lot of the attention entering the year sits on the names at the top of the roster. Preseason All-American wide receiver Duce Robinson leads the way after pacing the ACC in the regular season with 1,081 receiving yards, the most by a Seminole since 2019.
He was a first-team All-ACC pick and third-team All-American in 2025, finished 11th nationally in receiving yards, and led all P4 receivers with five 120-yard receiving games. He also ranked second in the ACC with 21.15 yards per reception, trailing only teammate Micahi Danzy.
Robinson is on the Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and Wuerffel Trophy watch lists, and he’s FSU’s nominee for the Good Works Team. Multiple outlets also named him a preseason first-team All-American.
In 2025, he became a first-team Academic All-American, the first at Florida State since 2012. The social studies major graduated in summer 2026.
Danzy, meanwhile, is coming off a remarkable first season at wide receiver. He led the nation with six 50-yard plays in 2025 and became just the second Florida State wideout, alongside 2026 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Peter Warrick, to post at least three rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns in a season.
Danzy also plays for Florida State’s track and field team, and he helped push the Seminoles to the 2026 ACC Men’s Indoor Track & Field Championship in February, the program’s first indoor title since 2019.
On the other side of the ball, defensive lineman Mandrell Desir is back after a standout true freshman season. The Miami native earned True Freshman All-American honors from On3 after finishing with 30 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. His sack total was the third-highest in Florida State history for a true freshman.
Florida State’s roster now lists 109 players, including 62 newcomers: 35 freshmen, 23 four-year transfers and four JuCo transfers.
The transfer group alone brings a heavy amount of experience. FSU’s NCAA transfer class has appeared in 592 career games with 283 starts, completed 62.1 percent of its passes for 12,553 yards and 78 touchdowns, rushed 1,055 times for 3,927 yards and 32 rushing touchdowns, caught 157 passes for 1,203 yards and six touchdowns, and started 117 games on the offensive line.
On defense, those transfers have combined for 536 tackles, 44.0 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, 27 pass breakups, nine interceptions, seven forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. The specialists in the group have also contributed 45 punts for 1,994 yards with 15 inside the 20, along with 22 made field goals on 25 tries and 135 kickoffs with 56 touchbacks.
That offensive line transfer class stands out in particular. All five have at least 10 career starts, led by Bowling Green transfer Nate Pabst with 38 and Auburn transfer Xavier Chaplin with 37. Bradyn Joiner has 17 starts, Chimdia Nwaiwu has 13 and Paul Bowling has 12.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell Just Gave Florida State Fans Another Reason To Groan
Florida State fans got another reminder this week that Mike Norvell is willing to break from convention. Even with Ashton Daniels already named the starting quarterback, Norvell has decided the Seminoles will not release depth charts during game weeks for the 2026 season, starting with the Week 0 matchup against New Mexico State. It is the kind of move that immediately stands out in college football, where teams usually give at least a snapshot of who is likely to line up where.
For a fan base already eager for clarity, the choice only adds to the noise around a program trying to steady itself and build trust heading into a new season. Depth charts do not decide games, but they do help set expectations, and Florida State will now be keeping that information in-house when opponents and supporters are looking for every clue they can get. The decision has already drawn criticism from fans and media, and it leaves one more question hanging over a team that could have used a quieter offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Norvells Quarterback Problem At FSU Just Got Harder To Ignore
Mike Norvells quarterback track record at Florida State has become one of the clearest pressure points of his tenure. The Seminoles have repeatedly chased answers at the most important position, but the results have not matched the recruiting buzz, and the program has leaned on transfer quarterbacks to open multiple seasons in a row.
Luke Kromenhoeks path only sharpens the concern. Once the highest-ranked quarterback recruit Norvell signed in Tallahassee, he transferred twice and then lost a starting competition at South Florida, a reminder that the Seminoles still have not found a true homegrown fix. Since 2020, Norvell has brought in several blue-chip passers, yet the overall production, starts and staying power have remained limited, leaving the position group a lingering issue the staff cannot keep skirting. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Lands A Proven Outfielder With One Huge Roster Catch
Florida State has added a veteran piece to its future outfield plans, with former Pitt and UCF standout AJ Nessler committing to the Seminoles for the 2027 roster. Nessler brings a long college track record to Tallahassee, having played in more than 150 games already, and his Pitt season showed why he remains an attractive transfer target. He started 56 games there and posted a .310 average with a .410 on-base percentage while swiping 13 bases in 14 tries.
The fit is obvious on paper: a proven bat, speed on the bases and experience against college pitching. The catch is the same one that hangs over the entire move, since Nessler is reportedly eligible for an extra season because of a court ruling in California, leaving the exact shape of his future timeline still to be sorted out. For Florida State, though, the commitment at least adds a player with real production and plenty of game reps to a roster that can use both. [Read more 🡒]