Talking season has arrived, and Florida State football is heading to the podium.
Head coach Mike Norvell and players Ashton Daniels, Duce Robinson and Jabril Rawls head to Charlotte to take part in the annual ACC Kickoff event. While the season doesn’t officially start until the Seminoles run onto the field at Doak Campbell Stadium in August, the kickoff event serves as the unofficial start of the football season.
The Seminoles will speak on the first day of the kickoff event, Wednesday, July 15. They are set to speak at noon, following the ACC commissioner’s forum and Miami’s appearance.
It starts an important few months for the program. Pressure is on Norvell, who has compiled a 7-17 record in the last two seasons, which he and those inside the program acknowledge is nowhere near good enough. The acknowledgment is one thing, but the only way to gain trust and support back is with wins on the field.
So when Norvell and Co. step up to the stand on Wednesday, what can we expect? Here’s a breakdown.
QB talk — Why Ashton Daniels was named starter
The Seminoles signed Daniels in the transfer portal from Auburn, which shocked much of the fan base and was met with mixed reactions. After a spring competition with Kevin Sperry, Daniels was named the starter, officially.
Norvell hasn’t explained the decision in depth publicly, and it is likely going to be one of the defining storylines of the Seminoles’ kickoff appearance.
While Daniels’ production has been limited in three years at Stanford and a season mostly as a backup at Auburn, the Seminoles hope the talent around the signal-caller will make for a career year. The likes of receivers Duce Robinson, Micahi Danzy, Jayvan Boggs and running backs Ousmane Kromah and Tre Wisnor surround Daniels, all of which should be reliable playmakers.
It’s a big gamble to bet on the talent around Daniels, especially with a reconstructed offensive line, but the Seminoles are rolling with it. Norvell will face plenty of questions on Daniels, and his answers will be followed closely by fans.
FSU expectations for 2026 season
Talking season is great for one thing: setting seasonal expectations.
The Seminoles need to win, and that’s going to be the talking point. It’s one thing to say things need to change, and another for the results to reflect it, as Norvell and FSU have learned in recent years, but the internal belief has to remain that the program will turn things around.
FSU’s schedule is unforgiving with road trips to Alabama, Miami and Louisville alongside home contests against SMU, Clemson and Florida.
It’s a brutal test for a program that needs to find some level of success in 2026, and after the season-opening upset over Alabama last season, Norvell will try to rally around that when discussing the tough schedule.
Questions over Mike Norvell’s future in Tallahassee
There is no denying the frustrations have stemmed from the Seminoles’ recent struggles, and much of that anger has been directed at Norvell. He’s entering year seven leading the program, and he was publicly backed by the program last season after the shocking loss to Stanford.
Norvell will be asked about his future, and while those answers won’t illuminate much, it is an overarching theme of the Seminoles’ season.
For better or worse, the questions around the program aren’t about what bowl game they can make, or if the playoffs are possible; the questions revolve around what Norvell needs to do to turn the ship around.
It’s a far cry from the optimism many had over the program’s future heading into 2023, a year the Seminoles went 13-0 and won an ACC title. It’s a stark reminder of the unpredictable fall that the program has endured in the last two seasons, but it will be impossible to ignore.
How to watch FSU football at ACC Media Days
Florida State football schedule 2026
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football at ACC kickoff with questions galore — here’s what to watch
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
