It can be hard to ascertain a ton from Mike Norvell press conferences.<\/p>\n
Coach speak is a default setting for most high-level coaches, and Florida State\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an understandable yet frustrating aspect of coach interviews in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n
But what can be ascertained about how Norvell feels about this team by diving deep into what he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Again, it bears mentioning that everything Norvell says can\u2019t be taken at face value.<\/p>\n
But he sure seems to really like this linebacker room.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
When talking after FSU\u2019s first padded practice this spring, the linebackers were the position group first mentioned by Norvell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that group, they\u2019ve taken a positive step,\u201d Norvell said of the linebacker room. \u201cWe need it, and I think those guys are answering the call.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speed has been a constant talking point from Norvell about the linebackers this spring. One day he discussed \u201cviolence across the field\u201d while another saw him talk about linebackers \u201cflying around.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have a group that can run and is physical, it\u2019s good,\u201d Norvell said of the linebackers.<\/p>\n
Those are two things that could certainly really help Tony White\u2019s defense in his second season as coordinator.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Receiver depth behind Duce Robinson<\/p>\n
While there aren\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s someone else (or even two someones) on the field with him demanding attention as receiving threats.<\/p>\n
A top option to do so, the team\u2019s second-leading receiver last season in Micahi Danzy, isn\u2019t with the team much this spring due to track season. As such, the onus is really on the less-proven wideouts to step out.<\/p>\n
It sounds like they have, to a degree. Norvell didn\u2019t seem particularly pleased about the offense\u2019s performance as a whole in Saturday\u2019s second scrimmage.<\/p>\n
However, some expected names, like rising sophomores Jayvan Boggs and Tae\u2019Shaun Gelsey have been praised.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoggs 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),\u201d Norvell said after the first scrimmage.
\u201c … Had a really good week and I\u2019m excited about what I\u2019m seeing. He\u2019s moving well, stronger in the offseason, playing with confidence. He\u2019s put himself in position to be a key figure in what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norvell has also made an early prediction that two true freshmen will make on-field impacts in 2026. One, legacy wideout Devin Carter, isn\u2019t a huge surprise. He was once a very highly-ranked prospect in the recruiting class and has proven ability.<\/p>\n
\u201cDevin has come in with maturity. He can run. I\u2019ve watched him for years, I\u2019ve seen him grow up. Nothing he\u2019s doing surprises me,\u201d Norvell said of Carter. \u201cTremendous 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\u2019m really pleased there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The other, Jasen Lopez, is more of a surprise simply because he\u2019s a two-sport athlete who was largely with the FSU basketball team for the start of spring practice until Luke Loucks\u2019 first season as head coach came to an end.<\/p>\n
However, he\u2019s quickly made an impact since joining the football side full-time.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday was Jasen\u2019s 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,\u201d Norvell said after the first scrimmage. \u201cObviously some things that he\u2019s got to get more reps at, but he showed some good things today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is there a quarterback battle?<\/p>\n
The biggest debate throughout this year\u2019s FSU spring camp has certainly been if there is a quarterback battle going on and, if so, how legitimate it is.<\/p>\n
The Seminoles brought in experienced Stanford and Auburn veteran Ashton Daniels before Gus Malzahn\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
From what Norvell said after Saturday\u2019s second scrimmage, it sounds like there is a battle of sorts still ongoing and it could carry past the end of spring practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see as we get through spring practice where those things stack up with 15 practices of work, and then if we\u2019re ready to make a decision there, we\u2019ll be willing to, if it\u2019s something that\u2019s going to stretch into fall camp, obviously that\u2019s something we\u2019ll evaluate as we continue to get closer,\u201d Norvell said when asked about a timeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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\u2019ve got some talented guys that are in there. I think when you see Kevin, he\u2019s continuing to grow in the things that he\u2019s 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\u2019s still some of the finer details of things that we can, and that he can grow from, but he\u2019s done really well for the bulk of this spring ball, and I\u2019m pleased with his progression and where that\u2019s at.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is it interesting there or merely a coincidence that Sperry was mentioned first by Norvell? I\u2019m not doctoring anything. That second block of quote was the start of his answer before he got into the timeline portion I led with.<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
And it seems that it could go past the end of spring with only a few practices left at this point.<\/p>\n
For more context, here are some more quotes from Norvell about the QB room, a constant talking point this spring as always.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think both of those guys, you can see the investment of time they\u2019re spending from the mental aspect of it. Now it\u2019s just the consistency of that with the physical,\u201d Norvell said after the first practice back from spring break. \u201cWe\u2019ve 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\u2019ve 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\u2019ve handled everything really well and I\u2019m excited about their progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the first scrimmage, Norvell said of the quarterbacks, \u201cI 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\u2019re grading everything that we\u2019re doing, and he\u2019s 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\u2019s a really good room. I think those guys are battling. Today was, I\u2019d say, a solid day because of both the good and some of the things we\u2019ve got to get corrected.\u201d<\/p>\n
And here\u2019s what Norvell said on the quarterbacks after Saturday\u2019s second scrimmage: \u201cI think each quarterback had a couple decisions that they have to learn from, they\u2019ve 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\u2019s also some situations where it didn\u2019t really matter who was playing quarterback, just that we\u2019ve got to be better in surrounding the quarterback to help put them in a better situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c … For us, it\u2019s about who is owning the offense. I think Kevin, he knows (that) the best quarterback\u2019s 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\u2019s part of this game. It\u2019s gonna always be competitive, but this is a group that I am excited about. I\u2019m excited about the way that they\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Therefore, there\u2019s no incentive to keep the decision hidden if it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It can be hard to ascertain a ton from Mike Norvell press conferences. Coach speak is a default…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":859042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[10867,7,49,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-859041","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-florida-state-football","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-ncaa","11":"tag-ncaa-football"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116363821564897268","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/859042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}