Florida State’s linebacker room looks a lot different than it did a year ago, and that alone makes it the Seminoles’ most obvious step forward on paper.
That’s a big deal for a defense that spent the 2025 season getting exposed in the middle of the field. Linebacker play was one of the clearest problem spots, and FSU answered by attacking the front seven hard.
The headline addition is Southern Miss transfer Chris Jones, who led the Sun Belt with 135 tackles in 2025. He brings production, and he brings it at a level that jumps off the page. Mikai Gbayor is another important pickup, giving Florida State Power Four experience along with familiarity with defensive coordinator Tony White from their time together at Nebraska.
The Seminoles also made a notable move on the coaching side by promoting former All-American and FSU great Ernie Sims to linebackers coach. That gives the room a new voice, and it comes at a time when the group needs sharper direction.
There’s still real returning talent in the mix, too. Blake Nichelson is back after getting valuable starting reps in the second half of last season, and another offseason in the system should help him build on that stretch. He finished second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss, a sign that his ability to disrupt plays is already part of his game.
Omar Graham Jr. remains one of the most experienced players in the room. He has played in 39 career games and has logged 106 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and four passes defended in Tallahassee.
Florida State also added another piece in JUCO transfer Chris Thomas from Northwest Mississippi Community College. Over two junior college seasons, he put up 12.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks, and his ability to work in the backfield gives White another linebacker who can fill multiple roles.
That kind of versatility matters because coverage from the linebacker spot was a major issue last season. Opposing offenses kept finding ways to attack the middle, and Jones and Gbayor are expected to help tighten that up with their experience as productive every-down players.
The Seminoles are now entering their second season in White’s 3-3-5 defense, and that continuity should matter. With a full year in the system, the returning linebackers are expected to play faster and react more naturally instead of spending so much time sorting out assignments before the snap.
The room also got a boost from the recruiting trail. Florida State added freshmen Karon Maycock, Izayia Williams, and Daylen Green, while Noah LaVallee arrives as another developmental option. That gives the group more depth now and more room to grow later.
Whether all of that turns into a real difference on the field won’t be settled until the fall. But compared with where this unit stood last season, the transformation is easy to see.
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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 🡒]