It can be hard to ascertain a ton from Mike Norvell press conferences.
Coach speak is a default setting for most high-level coaches, and Florida State’s head football coach certainly falls into that with his phrases he relies upon when discussing his team so as to not give away too much information.
Advertisement
It’s an understandable yet frustrating aspect of coach interviews in today’s world.
But what can be ascertained about how Norvell feels about this team by diving deep into what he’s saying? I scrubbed through all of his press conferences from this spring to try and get a real idea of how he feels about the 2026 roster two-thirds of the way through spring practice.
Linebacker hype
Again, it bears mentioning that everything Norvell says can’t be taken at face value.
But he sure seems to really like this linebacker room.
The Seminoles return a number of multi-year veterans Omar Graham Jr. and Blake Nichelson and then added a number of productive transfers including Southern Miss transfer Chris Jones, North Carolina transfer Mikal Gbayor and JUCO transfer Chris Thomas.
Advertisement
When talking after FSU’s first padded practice this spring, the linebackers were the position group first mentioned by Norvell.
“I thought that group, they’ve taken a positive step,” Norvell said of the linebacker room. “We need it, and I think those guys are answering the call.”
Speed has been a constant talking point from Norvell about the linebackers this spring. One day he discussed “violence across the field” while another saw him talk about linebackers “flying around.”
“When you have a group that can run and is physical, it’s good,” Norvell said of the linebackers.
Those are two things that could certainly really help Tony White’s defense in his second season as coordinator.
Advertisement
The freshman linebacker crop seems to also be impressing Norvell. The Seminoles signed three high-school linebackers, including four-star Izayia Williams, and that position group has been mentioned a few times when Norvell has been asked about freshmen who are standing out.
Receiver depth behind Duce Robinson
While there aren’t a ton of certainties about the 2026 FSU football team at this point, there is at least one set in stone: If healthy, FSU has an All-ACC, if not All-American, receiver on the field in Duce Robinson.
But a question for this spring has been what does FSU have behind him in the way of receiver depth? As great as one standout receiver is, Robinson will get far more opportunities to shine if there’s someone else (or even two someones) on the field with him demanding attention as receiving threats.
Advertisement
A top option to do so, the team’s second-leading receiver last season in Micahi Danzy, isn’t with the team much this spring due to track season. As such, the onus is really on the less-proven wideouts to step out.
It sounds like they have, to a degree. Norvell didn’t seem particularly pleased about the offense’s performance as a whole in Saturday’s second scrimmage.
However, some expected names, like rising sophomores Jayvan Boggs and Tae’Shaun Gelsey have been praised.
Boggs, in particular, who seemed destined for a stronger true freshman season last fall before he was hindered by injuries, has been a consistent name mentioned by Norvell when discussing receivers.
Advertisement
“Boggs had a great week. Thursday, he was dominant really as a receiver. Today, especially starting off early (with a big catch on the opening series),” Norvell said after the first scrimmage.
“ … Had a really good week and I’m excited about what I’m seeing. He’s moving well, stronger in the offseason, playing with confidence. He’s put himself in position to be a key figure in what we’re doing.”
Norvell has also made an early prediction that two true freshmen will make on-field impacts in 2026. One, legacy wideout Devin Carter, isn’t a huge surprise. He was once a very highly-ranked prospect in the recruiting class and has proven ability.
“Devin has come in with maturity. He can run. I’ve watched him for years, I’ve seen him grow up. Nothing he’s doing surprises me,” Norvell said of Carter. “Tremendous versatility, continuing to grow and get stronger with each day, but the mental side of the game, he embraces that understanding. He catches the ball well. I’m really pleased there.”
The other, Jasen Lopez, is more of a surprise simply because he’s a two-sport athlete who was largely with the FSU basketball team for the start of spring practice until Luke Loucks’ first season as head coach came to an end.
Advertisement
However, he’s quickly made an impact since joining the football side full-time.
“Today was Jasen’s first live day after acclimating from basketball. He was in a helmet the first two days. He jumped right into the scrimmage and had a couple big catches,” Norvell said after the first scrimmage. “Obviously some things that he’s got to get more reps at, but he showed some good things today.”
Is there a quarterback battle?
The biggest debate throughout this year’s FSU spring camp has certainly been if there is a quarterback battle going on and, if so, how legitimate it is.
The Seminoles brought in experienced Stanford and Auburn veteran Ashton Daniels before Gus Malzahn’s February retirement. They also have redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry, who played sparingly last season — nearly leading a game-winning drive at Stanford — and who was consistently raved about by members of the coaching staff for his practice accomplishments.
Advertisement
From what Norvell said after Saturday’s second scrimmage, it sounds like there is a battle of sorts still ongoing and it could carry past the end of spring practice.
“We’ll see as we get through spring practice where those things stack up with 15 practices of work, and then if we’re ready to make a decision there, we’ll be willing to, if it’s something that’s going to stretch into fall camp, obviously that’s something we’ll evaluate as we continue to get closer,” Norvell said when asked about a timeline.
“I think when you look at the course of these first nine days leading into the day, I think we do have a very competitive room. We’ve got some talented guys that are in there. I think when you see Kevin, he’s continuing to grow in the things that he’s being asked to do, driving the ball with more and more confidence of where it needs to go, what it needs to look like. Ashton, I think, has come in and done a great job in learning the offense, and there’s still some of the finer details of things that we can, and that he can grow from, but he’s done really well for the bulk of this spring ball, and I’m pleased with his progression and where that’s at.”
Is it interesting there or merely a coincidence that Sperry was mentioned first by Norvell? I’m not doctoring anything. That second block of quote was the start of his answer before he got into the timeline portion I led with.
Advertisement
Are there tea leaves to be read? Or is that just who Norvell thought of mentioning first with no meaning, conscious or subconscious, behind it?
Who’s to say? But one thing seems clear, there is a battle of sorts going on, unlike the last two years where DJ Uiagalelei and Tommy Castellanos were destined to be the starter well before it was formally announced.
And it seems that it could go past the end of spring with only a few practices left at this point.
For more context, here are some more quotes from Norvell about the QB room, a constant talking point this spring as always.
“I think both of those guys, you can see the investment of time they’re spending from the mental aspect of it. Now it’s just the consistency of that with the physical,” Norvell said after the first practice back from spring break. “We’ve seen some really high output, making sure the ball is where it needs to be, giving guys opportunities. The confidence is there, and then there are still areas where we might be half a second slow or we’ve got to start our eyes in a certain place. The repetition of those things tying together with your feet are going to be really big. But I think they’ve handled everything really well and I’m excited about their progress.”
Advertisement
After the first scrimmage, Norvell said of the quarterbacks, “I thought they were good. First scrimmage, good and bad that really did show up for both. They both had explosive plays that showed up and some plays you have to grow from. Ashton Daniels had a really good first week. We’re grading everything that we’re doing, and he’s completing the ball at a high percentage. Today, there were a couple that we missed. Kevin Sperry has had a good first week as well. There were some plays he was looking to clean up upon, but I thought he made a couple really nice throws off things he had missed earlier. That was a great response for him. It’s a really good room. I think those guys are battling. Today was, I’d say, a solid day because of both the good and some of the things we’ve got to get corrected.”
And here’s what Norvell said on the quarterbacks after Saturday’s second scrimmage: “I think each quarterback had a couple decisions that they have to learn from, they’ve got to be better from. There was some good plays, some explosive plays that did show up later. Guys pushed the ball down the field. There’s also some situations where it didn’t really matter who was playing quarterback, just that we’ve got to be better in surrounding the quarterback to help put them in a better situation.”
“ … For us, it’s about who is owning the offense. I think Kevin, he knows (that) the best quarterback’s going to play. And we get to a point where you name a starting quarterback, and somebody beats that guy out throughout whatever the part of, and that’s part of this game. It’s gonna always be competitive, but this is a group that I am excited about. I’m excited about the way that they’re working with each other, challenging each other, but also encouraging each other, for the best to be what shows up. And I think that continues to elevate the competition in the room.”
One thing is clear: There is no post-spring transfer portal window anymore. So gone are the days of lying about a QB battle not being settled until fall camp to keep the backup on the roster. At least until some player legally challenges that new rule this offseason, which feels like a lock to happen at some school.
Advertisement
Therefore, there’s no incentive to keep the decision hidden if it’s indeed settled. From how Norvell is talking about the quarterback room, it seems like a legitimate battle that may not be wrapping up anytime soon.
