Florida State needed quarterback help once the 2025 season ended, and they added to the room by landing Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels back in January. All signs pointed to him being the starter in 2026, but that has changed during spring practice.
According to head coach Mike Norvell, Daniels is being pushed heavily when it comes to earning the starting quarterback role. His biggest competition is redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
Sources have told On3 that after the first scrimmage, it’s a clear two-way competition between Daniels and Kevin Sperry. A former three-star recruit, Sperry is a redshirt freshman who handles the offense well. He’s also impressed with a handful of throws, a source told On3.
There’s no clear timeline at this point for when Norvell could name a starter at quarterback. Sperry is pushing Daniels in the quarterback competition through the opening weeks of spring ball.
After three seasons at Stanford, Daniels played his only season at Auburn in 2025. He would end up playing in four games with three starts by the end of the year. Daniels completed 57% of his passes for 797 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions. In addition, Daniels registered 280 rushing yards and produced two touchdowns as well.
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Tommy Castellanos was FSU’s starter last season, but Sperry did appear in three games. He completed four of his five passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns in a blowout win over East Texas A&M. Two weeks later, Sperry completed four out of five passes again for 64 yards versus Kent State. In a 20-13 loss to Stanford, Sperry completed four of his seven passes for 69 yards.
Daniels clearly has the edge in experience, but Sperry’s talent is shining enough for Norvell to let these two battle it out. FSU must get the right starter for the upcoming season with such a loaded roster of wide receivers as they try to make a bowl game for the first time since 2023.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU Football: Ashton Daniels, Kevin Sperry battling for starting QB
