Mike Norvell’s path to a real rebound starts long before the wins and losses show up in the record. It starts in camp, where Florida State has to sort out a few key jobs that could shape the whole season - and, by extension, Norvell’s future in Tallahassee.
The pressure is obvious. Norvell is chasing his first winning season since 2023, and even that might not be enough after a 7-17 stretch over the last two years. If Florida State is going to push back into the eight- or nine-win range and reinsert itself into the long-term conversation, the Seminoles have to get the right answers at some of the most important spots on the field.
The biggest one is the interior offensive line. Florida State rebuilt its front after a disastrous 2024, with Norvell and line coach Herb Hand bringing in five veteran transfers. All five have already graduated, which leaves the staff right back where it started: replacing all five starters after using the portal to steady the group.
Xavier Chaplin, the Auburn transfer, is locked in at left tackle. After that, the picture gets messy fast.
Inside, Florida State has five players fighting for three jobs, and that count goes to six if Jayden Todd is included. A workable lineup came out of spring, but nothing about it feels final.
Chavez Thompson had been seen as the likely center before Purdue transfer Bradyn Welch-Joiner turned in a strong spring. That pairing could be the best fit.
Andre Otto is expected to handle left guard, though Paul Bowling could still make that spot uncomfortable. Right guard is the wild card.
Nate Pabst could win the job there, or he could move out to right tackle and let Welch-Joiner slide to right guard with Thompson at center. If Pabst ends up at tackle, Bowling could become the right guard next to Welch-Joiner.
However it shakes out, Florida State has to get the middle of the line right for Ashton Daniels. The offense was crushed last time Norvell called plays because of quick pressure and poor quarterback play, and the Seminoles can’t afford a repeat.
The other tackle spot is just as important. Jonathan Daniels has been developed for the right tackle job for a while, but Chimdia Nwaiwu changed the conversation when he arrived from Stephen F.
Austin as one of the program’s final portal additions. By all accounts, he made a fast impression on the staff.
With Chaplin already established and carrying SEC experience, opponents are likely to attack the right side and see where the cracks are. Florida State can help there, but if this offense is going to hit its ceiling, it needs both tackles to hold up in pass protection. Betting on Nwaiwu to jump from the FCS level carries some risk, but if he’s the best answer, Norvell and Hand have to go with him.
Then there’s cornerback, where the job opposite Ja’Bril Rawls matters plenty. Rawls broke out in 2025 and became Florida State’s clear No. 1 corner in just seven games, which means whoever lines up on the other side is going to get tested.
That battle looks like a straight fight between South Alabama transfer Nehemiah Chandler and senior Quindarrius Jones. Jones, a four-year Seminole, played only four games last season before a season-ending injury, though he logged 256 snaps in 2024. Chandler brings a different profile: he played more than 600 snaps for South Alabama in 2025, and while the tackling wasn’t great, he flashed real playmaking ability with eight pass breakups and two interceptions.
Jones looks like the steadier choice. Chandler offers more volatility. Both should see plenty of the field, and how they handle life opposite Rawls will say a lot about Florida State’s pass defense.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell Pressure At Florida State Just Hit A New Level
Mike Norvells run at Florida State still carries the memory of 2023, when he guided the Seminoles to a 13-1 record and an ACC championship, but that success now feels increasingly distant. The conversation around the program has shifted hard in the other direction, with the Seminoles recent slide putting a very different kind of spotlight on the coach who once looked like he had the whole thing pointed back up.
Florida States on-field struggles have been paired with recruiting concerns that only add to the unease, as the 2027 class sits at No. 59 nationally and does not yet look like the kind of group that can quickly reset the trajectory. Even among ACC coaches, Norvell is being viewed through a harsher lens now, and the longer the results lag behind the standard he set, the harder it becomes to ignore the pressure building around him. [Read more 🡒]
Can FSU Finally Trust Its Linebackers In Year Two Under Norvell
Florida States linebacker room looks a lot different heading into the second year of the 3-3-5, and that is by design. The Seminoles have turned to transfers Ernie Sims, Chris Jones and Mikai Gbayor while also keeping a core that includes Blake Nichelson, Omar Graham Jr., Caleb LaVallee and AJ Cottrill, with freshman Izayia Williams adding another layer of competition. After a season of shuffling and uneven play at the position, the hope is that a cleaner fit in the scheme and a deeper group will finally give the defense more stability in the middle.
Jones arrives with a strong track record from Southern Miss, while Gbayor brings familiarity with Tony White after previous stops and a productive year at Nebraska. LaVallees return from a leg injury should matter too, because Florida State needs bodies it can trust, not just names on the depth chart. The bigger question is whether all of those pieces can settle in quickly enough to make the linebacker spot a strength instead of a weekly concern, especially with so much riding on how the new-look group handles the demands of year two. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Just Hit A Familiar Roadblock With Elite In State QB
Florida State is back in the familiar position of trying to hold its ground with an in-state quarterback who has plenty of options. Hudson West, a 2028 target for the Seminoles, is drawing interest from Florida, North Carolina and Georgia Tech, and his recruitment already has the feel of a long one. For a program that still sells itself on staying home and winning big in Florida, landing a player like West would matter well beyond one class.
West has made relationships a major part of his decision-making, which gives Florida State a clear opening if it can keep building trust over time. The challenge is obvious, though: Mike Norvells uncertain tenure and the programs recent struggles to consistently secure top in-state talent hang over this pursuit, and those are the kinds of questions that can linger deep into a quarterback recruitment. [Read more 🡒]