Florida State is set to open its season tonight against New Mexico State, and the Seminoles will do it in a clean look: gold helmets, garnet jerseys and garnet pants.
The matchup kicks off Saturday, August 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET, with the game airing on The CW and streaming on WatchESPN/ESPN App. Fans can also listen on the Seminoles Radio Network, with FSU broadcast coverage on Ch. 117 or 194/SXM App.
On the field, this is another fresh start at quarterback for Florida State, with transfer Ashton Daniels taking over for a team trying to move past two straight losing seasons. He’ll be working with one of the nation’s top pass catchers in Duce Robinson, who enters the year as the focal point of the offense.
Robinson’s 2025 season put him in rare company. He led the ACC with 1,081 receiving yards, the most by a Seminole since 2019, and finished 11th nationally in receiving yards. He also posted five 120-yard receiving games, the most among P4 receivers, and ranked second in the ACC in yards per reception at 21.15, trailing only teammate Micahi Danzy.
The preseason honors keep stacking up for Robinson. He’s on the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Biletnikoff Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and Wuerffel Trophy, and Florida State has tabbed him as its nominee for the Good Works Team.
He’s also a preseason first-team All-American by multiple outlets. In 2025, Robinson was a first-team Academic All-American, the first at Florida State since 2012.
The social studies major graduated in summer 2026.
Danzy brings his own big-play punch. In his first season as a wide receiver, he led the country with six 50-yard plays in 2025 and became only the second FSU wideout, alongside 2026 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Peter Warrick, to finish a season with at least three rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.
Danzy’s impact hasn’t been limited to football, either. As a member of Florida State’s track and field team, he helped lead the Seminoles to the 2026 ACC Championship in February, the program’s first indoor track and field title since 2019.
Florida State also gets a major boost back on defense with Mandrell Desir returning after an All-American true freshman season. The Miami native earned True Freshman All-American honors from On3 after putting up 30 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. His sack total ranks third in FSU history for a true freshman.
The Seminoles’ roster is loaded with turnover, too. Florida State listed 109 players on its roster, including 62 newcomers: 35 freshmen, 23 four-year transfers and four JuCo transfers.
The transfer class brings a huge amount of experience with it. FSU says its NCAA transfer group has appeared in 592 career games with 283 starts.
That group has 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 scores, and logged 117 starts on the offensive line. On defense, 15 players in the class 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.
Specialists in the group have 45 punts for 1,994 yards, 15 punts inside the 20, 22 made field goals on 25 attempts and 135 kickoffs with 56 touchbacks.
Florida State’s offensive line transfers bring plenty of mileage, too. All five have started at least 10 games in their careers, led by Bowling Green transfer Nate Pabst with 38 starts and Auburn transfer Xavier Chaplin with 37. Bradyn Joiner has 17 starts, Chimdia Nwaiwu has 13 and Paul Bowling has 12.
The opener also comes with a bit of history. Florida State is beginning its 80th football season, and the Seminoles and Aggies have met only once before, when FSU won 36-0 in 1964. That victory was the third straight shutout to start the season for the 1964 team.
As a program, Florida State is 56-23 all-time in season openers and 60-19 in home openers. The Seminoles enter tonight’s game as 31.5-point favorites, with the over/under set at 52.5 points.
In Other News...
Florida State Fans Now Face A Troubling Devin Carter Injury Question
Devin Carter has become the latest Florida State injury storyline to watch, and this one carries more uncertainty than the usual day-to-day practice update. A public Instagram post from his father, Dexter Carter, said the wide receiver has been dealing with fractures to four lumbar transverse processes, and it painted a picture of a player pushing through significant pain while still trying to stay involved. For a Seminoles offense that values depth and continuity, any extended absence at receiver is worth monitoring closely.
Mike Norvell confirmed Carter is currently unavailable because of injury, but stopped short of adding much detail beyond that. The public account has left fans with more questions than answers, especially after the post said the injury worsened when Carter was hit while wearing a no-contact jersey. For now, Florida State is left waiting on the next update, and Carters timeline remains one of the more unsettling unknowns around the program. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Fans Heading To Doak Face A Game Day Traffic Squeeze
Florida States 2026 football opener at Doak Campbell Stadium will arrive with more than the usual first-game buzz, as fans heading to the final Saturday in August will also have to navigate a tightened traffic plan around campus. The Tallahassee Police Department and Florida State University have already laid out parking guidance, recommended routes and adjusted traffic flow for the day, with the SeminoleSafe App set up as a real-time resource for updates before and after kickoff.
The added wrinkle is the calendar, with Florida A&M also scheduled to play at home on the same day, a setup that could stack traffic across the city and make the approach to Doak more crowded than usual. For Seminole fans, that means leaving extra time, paying close attention to the universitys guidance and expecting a busier-than-normal game day even before the seasons first snap. [Read more 🡒]
Ashton Daniels Rumor Puts Florida State's Week 0 Commitment In Focus
As Florida State turns the page toward its season opener, the quarterback picture has settled in a way that leaves little room for interpretation. Ashton Daniels was named the starter in the spring and held that spot through fall camp, and the Seminoles official depth chart made it clear he is still in line to open the year under center.
Still, the chatter around Daniels surfaced enough for David Pollack to ask about it publicly, which says something about how closely people are watching the Seminoles first real decision point of the season. For Florida State, the important part is that the rumor never turned into a camp battle, and the Week 0 commitment appears to be exactly what the staff said it was all along. [Read more 🡒]