The first Saturday of the 2026 college football season didn’t do much to quiet the quarterback questions that followed two big portal bets.
In Dublin, Harvard-to-TCU transfer Jaden Craig opened the day by struggling through a 15-10 loss to North Carolina on a rainy field. Sonny Dykes kept the tone upbeat afterward, telling reporters, “I've seen Jaden practice and I know what it's looked like.
It didn't really look like that today. I'm sure North Carolina had something to do with that.”
Later in the primetime window at Doak Campbell Stadium, Auburn-to-Florida State transfer Ashton Daniels gave Mike Norvell a much rougher first look. Daniels finished 17-27 for 202 yards and a touchdown, but the night also came with an ugly interception and the same old turnover issues that have followed him around. Norvell tried to soften the edges afterward, saying that “all in all he did what he needed to do, but a lot of areas where he needs to take a step.”
That contrast matters. Quarterback-needy teams live in the portal now, chasing fixes and hoping the change of scenery unlocks something new.
Dykes has reasons to believe Craig can still grow into the job. Norvell, though, may be stuck with a much clearer reality: Daniels is probably Daniels.
Craig at least fits the profile of a player who could take time to bloom. A zero-star recruit in the 2022 class, he spent four seasons at Harvard and became the best quarterback in the Ivy League.
He’s 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, with a big arm and enough athleticism to matter, even if he isn’t much of a runner. The tools are obvious enough that he nearly left Harvard for the NFL last offseason instead of entering the portal and ending up in Fort Worth.
Saturday was rough, no doubt. But it was also his first crack at Power 4 football, where the windows shrink, the pace jumps, and the punishment for hesitation comes fast.
He didn’t look ready yet. That doesn’t mean the story is finished.
Daniels is a different case entirely.
Saturday night was his 24th career start as a Power Conference quarterback. In 2025, he made three starts in the SEC against Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Alabama, and even then he was, at minimum, an upgrade over former five-star Jackson Arnold. But the numbers told a familiar story: five turnover-worthy plays to four big-time throws, nearly 3 seconds holding the ball on dropbacks, and fewer than 40 percent completions under pressure.
Against New Mexico State, the issues were the same. He turned it over.
He looked uncomfortable when pressured. He held the ball too long.
For all the preseason talk about a sharper, more decisive Daniels in Norvell’s offense, the version that showed up was the same quarterback from the previous 23 starts. And that was against a Conference USA opponent that won four games last season.
That’s the hard part for Florida State. Big quarterback leaps in a player’s final college season are rare when he’s already played this much football.
Usually, if one happens, there’s a major shift behind it. Joe Burrow got that at LSU when Ed Orgeron brought in Joe Brady and opened things up.
Bo Nix found it after transferring from Auburn to Oregon under Kenny Dillingham. Mike Norvell is not Joe Brady, and he is not Kenny Dillingham.
Kenny Pickett is another name in that lane. In 2021, after already logging 36 starts, he suddenly looked like a different quarterback.
The explanation was simple: at 23, his physical maturity finally gave him advantages that changed the game. That’s the kind of outcome Florida State has to hope for with Daniels, especially now that being a 23-year-old fifth-year doesn’t carry quite the same edge it once did in the COVID-eligibility era.
Daniels does bring some things to the table. He’s a big, physical athlete with a solid arm and dual-threat ability.
He ran seven times for 39 yards against New Mexico State and scored a rushing touchdown, though he was hardly a true force on the ground. And that part of his game wasn’t a revelation anyway; it was already part of the package when FSU pulled him from the portal.
The bigger issue is how Norvell approached the position in the first place. For the third straight year, he turned to a veteran transfer quarterback, and this time the resources apparently weren’t there for a more aggressive swing. The administration, it seems, was keeping money in reserve in case it needed to handle a certain head coach’s expensive buyout later this fall.
Even so, Florida State might have needed to bet bigger. Craig is the kind of quarterback who brings real questions when he jumps levels, but also a much higher ceiling if the jump hits.
Maybe that player inside the building is JuCo transfer Malachi Marshall, who reportedly had a strong fall camp. If Daniels keeps looking like this, the calls for Marshall will only get louder.
There were other portal quarterbacks with more risk and more upside, too: Colton Joseph, who moved from Old Dominion to Wisconsin, and Alonza Barnett III, who went from James Madison to UCF. Those are the kinds of swings that can change a season if they land. And for Norvell, maybe even more than that.
In Other News...
Sam Singleton Just Gave Florida State A Weapon It May Need
Sam Singleton Jr. gave Florida State something it can always use and not always find: a back who can tilt the field in more than one way. In the Seminoles 34-17 win over New Mexico State, he piled up 164 all-purpose yards, scored twice and made his presence felt as both a runner and a returner, including a pair of kickoff returns that helped swing field position. Coach Mike Norvell pointed to Singletons versatility and the way he affected the game in multiple phases, and Pro Football Focus also came away impressed with his offensive work.
For a Florida State offense still sorting out where its biggest weekly advantages will come from, that kind of performance matters beyond the box score. Singletons blend of burst, efficiency and special-teams value gives the Seminoles a cleaner path to creating favorable situations, especially when games tighten and hidden yardage starts to matter. The bigger question now is whether this was a one-game spark or the start of a role that keeps expanding as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Already Has An O-Line Problem It Cant Ignore
Florida States offensive line was always going to be a work in progress in 2026, with five new starters trying to settle in and especially a fresh battle developing on the right side. Chimdia Nwaiwu got the opening nod at right tackle, while Nate Pabst and Paul Bowling have also been part of the discussion, and the early weeks have already shown how important that spot is for an offense trying to find its footing.
Nwaiwus first start brought enough pressure and issues in the run game to make the decision far less straightforward than the staff likely hoped. With SMU next on the schedule, Florida State is already weighing whether to stay patient or make a change and see if Bowling offers a better answer at right tackle, a choice that could shape how the rest of the line settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Has A Secondary Problem At The Worst Time
Florida State opened the season with a 34-17 win over New Mexico State, but the celebration came with a clear defensive concern hanging over it. The Seminoles secondary had too many issues staying connected in coverage, and New Mexico State was able to find space through the air more often than Florida State would like to see this early in the year.
Mike Norvell pointed to communication and execution problems after the game, which makes the timing especially uncomfortable with SMU next on the schedule. The Mustangs bring a passing attack that can punish busted assignments, so Florida States back end will need a cleaner performance fast if it wants the opener to be remembered for the win and not the warning signs. [Read more 🡒]