Nearly a week after Florida State wrapped up spring practices with Mike Norvell stating he was "not ready" to name a starting quarterback, the team's social media accounts posted a photo and video of Ashton Daniels as QB1 on Tuesday afternoon.
At the close of spring practice on Wednesday, Norvell indicated he was close to an announcement and has seen growth in the quarterback room.
Daniels had 4,783 passing yards and 1,397 rushing yards with 35 touchdowns in three seasons at Stanford and 2025 at Auburn. He passed for a career-high 442 yards in Auburn’s loss at Vanderbilt.
Kevin Sperry completed 12 of 17 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2025. He also had 27 rushing yards.
Norvell did not speak or issue a statement about the decision. When contacted, an FSU spokesperson said that the social media post was done to provide “clarity” for the quarterback competition.
Throughout the spring, Norvell has discussed both quarterbacks. A few weeks ago, he mentioned areas where he has seen progress from Daniels.
“Ashton has come in and done a great job in learning the offense,” Norvell said on April 4. “There's still some of the finer details that we can grow from. I'm pleased with his progression and where that's at.”
FSU opens the 2026 season at home against New Mexico State on Aug. 29 in a Week 0 game. The Seminoles then host SMU on Sept. 7 before playing at Alabama on Sept. 19.
The Osceola’s Jerry Kutz and Bob Ferrante gave their reaction to the quarterback news on Seminole Sidelines.
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