With spring practice in the books and 109 days until Florida State takes on New Mexico State, the focus now turns to who exactly will be taking the field for the Seminoles when the season kicks off on Saturday, August 29.
The offensive depth chart appears more set than the defensive one. At the end of spring ball, head coach Mike Norvell named Ashton Daniels as the starting quarterback, and with a few established names already on that side of the ball, it’s safe to assume some of the names that he’ll be throwing and handing off to — Duce Robinson and Ousmane Kromah chief among them.
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That said, there are still questions surrounding skill positions — do FSU’s impressive freshman receivers (Devin Carter and Jasen Lopez) have a shot at starting Week 0? Who emerges from the tight end room? — the biggest mystery boils down to the offensive line, as there could be four different combinations and each one could be the right answer.
2026 Florida State depth chart projection: Offense
Quarterback
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No. 1: Redshirt senior Ashton Daniels
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No. 2: Redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry
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No. 3: Sophomore Malachi Marshall
Analysis:
Mike Norvell and Florida State football took the debate out of this one by announcing Ashton Daniels as the starter, a week after the head coach said they were unsure if they would name QB1 at the end of spring.
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It’s not a surprise that Daniels won the starting job — throughout the spring, it seemed as if Norvell appreciated his experience and trusted his decision-making more than Sperry, who had more peaks and valleys. The real question from the group will be whether Malachi Marshall can push for playing time when he joins the program over the summer. Marshall tore through the JUCO ranks, and the head coach mentioned him as someone he expects to be a factor during fall camp in his final media availability of the spring. Marshall and/or Sperry are unlikely to unseat Daniels by Aug. 29, but do not be surprised if the beginning of the year starts off rocky and the two backups see time during the season.
Norvell on the quarterbacks:
“Ashton Daniels, for all the things you watch and see, getting a chance to coach somebody day to day, I’ve been really pleased with what he’s shown. His ability to live in the pocket and deliver the ball. He’s shown growth through the spring on vertical shots — he hit a couple in the scrimmage that were right where they needed to be, big plays that sparked big drives.”
“Kevin Sperry has just gotten better throughout the spring. We’ve talked about consistency with him, and I think he’s definitely growing up. His growth is something that encourages me.”
“We have another quarterback, Malachi Marshall, coming in this summer. He’s going to jump in and join the room. I think it’s a really good room and those guys have done a nice job working with each other…He was somebody that really kind of jumped on our radar midway to the end of last year. His game was something that really got me excited. He’s got superb arm talent — you can see him make every throw. He does have some flexibility within his clock of eligibility, but he’s coming in to compete. He knows when you come in the summer it’s a lot in a short period of time, and he’s going to lack some of the overall reps that guys have gotten. I told him: just come in and be all that you can be. He’s definitely excited for the opportunity.”
Running back
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No. 1: Sophomore Ousmane Kromah
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No. 3: Freshman Amari Thomas OR redshirt junior Sam Singleton Jr.
Analysis:
On paper, there has to be a No. 1 and No. 2 running back, but Kromah and Wisner could be listed as 1A/1B. The former returns for his sophomore season after being a bright spot in his rookie year, and the latter is one of FSU’s most high-profile transfer pickups. They each complement each other with a different running style, and one of the two should be on the field for almost every offensive snap.
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Behind them, Thomas and Singleton Jr. will push for carries when the top two need a breather or Norvell wants multiple running backs on the field. Singleton Jr., like Kromah, was one of the few impactful playmakers when he touched the ball in 2025, and the head coach mentioned Thomas multiple times during the spring after pushing hard for him during his recruitment. As a whole, the running back room projects as a strength for the offense, with a blend of youth and experience, punishing runners, and electric speed.
Norvell on the running back room:
“I’ve always leaned toward more two-back type sets, and I think with the guys we have it definitely opens the door…That can be something because of our personnel that will allow opportunities — whether it’s 20 personnel, 21 personnel…When you look at Ousmane [Kromah], when you look at Tre [Wisner] — Amari Thomas has been somebody I’ve really been pleased with as a young freshman, just some of the versatility things that he’s shown and can do…I’m excited about that group and what it can be.”
Wide Receiver
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No. 1: Senior Duce Robinson
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No. 2: Sophomore Jayvan Boggs
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No. 4: Freshman Devin Carter OR freshman Jasen Lopez
Analysis:
At the top, this group seems the easiest to project.
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Duce Robinson returns after his 1,000-yard campaign a season ago and should be one of the best receivers in the country as long as the quarterback play can be steady enough to get him the ball. When the ball is not being funneled to the senior, Boggs should have the chance to take another step in his sophomore campaign as the Z receiver opposite Robinson. Danzy also returns after being one of the most electric players in the ACC, and it will be up to Norvell to scheme up touches for him in the same way Gus Malzahn did a year ago.
Behind those three, though, the opportunity for playing time is wide open and it seems that two freshmen are ready to walk through the door. Carter, a legacy, was constantly mentioned by the head coach during spring ball and Lopez also appeared to turn heads after making his way onto campus. Those two seem most likely to be behind the three returning pass-catchers.
Norvell on Carter and Lopez:
“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. 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…(Jasen) jumped right into the scrimmage and had a couple big catches — obviously some things that he’s got to get more reps at, but he showed some good things today.”
Tight end
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No. 1: Senior Desirrio Riles
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No. 2: Junior Landen Thomas OR redshirt freshman Chase Loftin
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Analysis:
At the end of 2025, the thought was that Norvell would turn the keys over to Thomas or Loftin, now that the latter’s wide receiver experiment is over, to be the head of the tight end room. Instead, Florida State took the experienced Riles out of the transfer portal, and he seems most likely to be the focal point of the tight end room, at least to begin the year.
Riles caught 28 passes a season ago at East Carolina, and his 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame projects as someone who should be a capable blocker with the right coaching. The hope for Florida State should be that even if Riles leads the tight-end room in snaps to begin the season, Thomas and Loftin take the next step to push for more playing time as the year progresses.
Mike Norvell on his tight ends:
“Those three guys, you just feel their presence — speed, athleticism as route runners, but they also bring physicality and toughness. (Riles has) definitely been what I hoped he would be when he chose to come here.”
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Offensive Line
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Left guard: Redshirt junior Andre Otto
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Center: Redshirt freshman Sandman Thompson OR redshirt junior Bradyn Joiner
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Right guard: Redshirt senior Nate Pabst
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Right tackle: Redshirt junior Chimdia Nwaiwu OR redshirt sophomore Jonathan Daniels
Top Reserves:
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Redshirt sophomore Jayden Todd
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Redshirt sophomore Jonathan Daniels
Analysis:
The previous four position groups seem pretty clear heading into fall camp, outside of a couple of battles between reserves or younger players.
That is absolutely not the case for the offensive line.
Norvell and offensive line coach Herb Hand have kept their cards close to the vest for who their starting five will be to open the season. Part of that could be gamesmanship, but part of it could also be fierce position battles across the offensive line. Considering FSU will need to replace all five starters from a year ago, the Seminoles can have open competition across the offensive front.
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Outside Xavier Chaplin at left tackle, any other group of four from the other eight names on this list would not be a surprise. Otto and Pabst seem likely to start at the guard positions given their experience and play style. Center and right tackle appear to be the most up in the air, with a homegrown player and a transfer pushing each other for the starting spot. Thompson is only being used as a center, while Joiner could be a guard or center as the Purdue transfer has the experience edge.
At RT, Nwaiwu looks to be a pleasant surprise as a Division II transfer, but Daniels has been groomed as a right tackle for two years. Right now, it seems likely the two transfers start, but that’s nowhere near set in stone.
Even though Hand does not like to rotate the way Alex Atkins did, Thompson and Daniels will almost certainly see the field in some capacity this year.
Mike Norvell on the offensive line:
“I feel like we’ve got a pretty good understanding of where guys have positioned themselves. I still would say there’s competition at a few of those positions, and we want to make sure that we’re evaluating what is the best five. And if we have to tweak a couple guys positionally — but I like where we are, and I feel good about the continued development of depth and end of competition.”
