There are two points of contention when watching Florida State football in 2026. Beyond, of course, the frustrating inconsistency.
There’s the questions of the overall talent. There’s the questions of the offensive and defensive scheme. And then there’s the question of how the coaching staff can make tweaks and prepare a game plan in days, without the free time of a bye week, but tailor the concepts to the Seminoles.
To the question of talent, FSU is very shorthanded. If you were listing the Seminoles’ most important players on offense, Duce Robinson, Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton Jr. won’t play on Saturday at Boston College (noon on ACC Network). Tre’ Wisner is listed as questionable, too. Ashton Daniels will have Micahi Danzy and Jayvan Boggs but also less-experienced receivers like Jasen Lopez and Devin Carter. The defense will also be short with Quindarrius Jones, Deante McCray and Kevin Wynn listed as out and K.J. Kirkland as questionable, among the most prominent names.
Rick Stockstill, Tim Harris Jr. and Ernie Sims Jr. will have to plan around those personnel issues. Concerns over the amount of experienced depth on the 2026 roster turned out to be warranted. And decisions by Mike Norvell and the staff on how to allocate a budget of nearly $30 million should be questioned.
One advantage: The Seminoles will be tough to scout. Harris was not FSU's play-caller and hasn't done so since 2024 at UCF. Sims Jr. was also not FSU's play-caller and hasn't done so since the final three games when he was USF's interim defensive coordinator in 2022.
But what can FSU’s reshaped coaching staff do?
When FSU is on defense
Bob’s thoughts: A main question of ours is to the point of flexibility of Tony White and his 3-3-5 scheme. White showed multiple fronts, but the three-man line didn’t have enough bulk to stop the run. Even when factoring in a stellar 45 minutes against Virginia, FSU’s rush defense ranked 112th among the 138-team FBS against the run (176.5 yards). Only Cal, Rutgers, Stanford and Georgia Tech are worse among Power 4 teams.
We’ve wondered why Mandrell Desir and Darryll Desir have had sophomore slumps, but they’re not alone in the questions about the front. Here’s hoping Sims Jr. drops the three-man front moving forward, and goes with four- and five-man fronts. FSU doesn’t have a deep rotation of experienced, healthy linemen but will have to defend BC’s strength (a mobile quarterback and physical line).
It’s a tall task for the likes of Daniel Lyons and Jordan Sanders, FSU’s bigger interior linemen, along with the Desir twins, Deamontae Diggs and edge rushers like Rylan Kennedy and Jalen Anderson. FSU may also need to use freshman Franklin Whitley and others that have stood out on special teams.
It goes without saying, but FSU’s defense will need to win third-and-short and fourth-and-1. BC is only 6 of 20 on fourth-down conversions in eight games, but the Seminoles will want to remind Eagles coach Bill O’Brien that the risk isn’t worth it.
BC quarterback Mason McKenzie (57.4 percent) isn't accurate but he is a dangerous runner. McKenzie has a team-leading 638 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
FSU will need another big day from Chris Jones, who is FSU’s leading tackler and has been the defense’s most consistent player.
Jerry’s thoughts: Keep it simple stupid.
Ernie Sims knows what this team has done well this year. Do that.
Ernie also knows what they don’t do well. Avoid that.
Play hard.
When FSU is on offense
Jerry’s thoughts: With the score tied at 10 against Clemson, there was a strong feeling Florida State was a dead duck as they managed only 35 rushing yards in the first half against the Tigers’ front. A preseason strength, the running game was whittled down by injuries to Samuel Singleton Jr. at Alabama and Ousmane Kromah at Miami. The injury to Tre Wisner in the third quarter forced FSU to rely on true freshman Amari Thomas.
Being rendered one-dimensional is never good for an offense and particularly tough on a quarterback. The perfect storm got worse for quarterback Ashton Daniels, when his primary target Duce Robinson sustained a season-ending knee injury.
With the entire weight of the offense on his shoulders, Daniels’ managed to go 21 for 33 with 365 yards and two touchdowns, but in the process he forced three interceptions and fumbled on another drive. Clemson scored 10 points off two of the turnovers, and the other two cost FSU potentially 14, a 24-point swing in the 12-point loss.
Bob’s thoughts: This team was built to be run-centric from what was once a deep running back room to a mobile quarterback in Ashton Daniels. Even the premise of bringing back Duce Robinson can be viewed as helping Daniels have a go-to target, but the benefit all along is that he stretches the field (often pushing the safeties back) and helping the run.
Now, the personnel losses alone bring about questions of how FSU can run, be balanced or take pressure off Daniels as a passer.
If Wisner is available, even in a limited number of snaps, the screen game is in play. One of Norvell's strengths was calling screens at the right times, but Harris Jr. and offensive line coach Herb Hand were always part of that game plan, too. Screens should be valuable, and maybe it can also be replicated with freshman running back Amari Thomas.
Our biggest criticism of Daniels is the passing game lacks rhythm. He takes too long to hold the ball and isn't decisive enough. The extra time holding the ball means the pass protection often breaks down, and Daniels is off scrambling.
We would offer that Daniels should get rid of the ball quickly, delivering strikes across the middle to Danzy, Lopez, Boggs and Carter. The Seminoles can let the receivers be the playmakers, using speed to pick up yards after the catch. While speed isn't a factor for Boggs, it is for Danzy, Lopez and Carter.
Daniels tends to think about the intermediate and deep passing game. He is second in the FBS with an impressive 15.5 yards per completion. But with Robinson out, this game is about getting rid of the ball quickly — or scrambling to find an open receiver or to pick up yards on the ground.
Draw up and call routes to help Daniels
Jerry’s thoughts: Harris and Stockstill can help Daniels with the routes called. Too often, receivers aren’t getting separation, tempting Daniels with windows that are too tight. I’d like to see receivers coming back to the ball more often, especially on scrambles, and motion.
Take what they give
Jerry’s thoughts: An oversimplification, I know.
If Boston College runs a light box, be prepared to run Thomas and Zay Parks as BC’s 79th-ranked run defense (150.9 yards per game) doesn’t have the teeth of Clemson's 38th-ranked run (123 yards per game).
If they play man coverage, let Daniels sling it deep, or run it when they drop in man.
Move the chains when you can, punt when you must, and hit the explosive when they present themselves.
Minimize turnovers
Jerry’s thoughts: I rehash this to say, the primary key for FSU in the next four games will be to minimize turnovers against a BC defense ranked 14th in turnovers, with three fumble recoveries and 11 interceptions. By comparison, the FSU defense has only six turnovers (two fumble recoveries and four interceptions) to rank 124th of 138 teams.
Stockstill and Harris must take pressure off Daniels against BC. While trying to create a running game at this point in the season is a herculean ask for offensive line coach Herb Hand, but asking Daniels to throw more passes to the guy eating popcorn in the third row isn’t.
As former offensive coordinator Mark Richt use to tell his quarterbacks, “Don’t turn a bad play into a disaster.” Throw it away and go to the next play, even if it leads to a punt. That’s a reasonable ask; something Daniels can do more often.
Special teams keys
Jerry’s thoughts: FSU’s special teams played well until Clemson.
While Daniel Hughes didn’t have his best game, the Seminoles punting game is still far better than Boston College. FSU averages 40.17 yards per punt, while BC is dead last in the country at 30.44 yards per punt.
That 10 yards per punt adds up and can be the difference on Saturday.
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