Florida State in need of portal success with QB Ashton Daniels

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State coach Mike Norvell’s first two attempts at landing a quarterback in the transfer portal resulted in back-to-back losing seasons.

He’s now placing a big bet — maybe his coaching career — on well-traveled graduate transfer Ashton Daniels. He’s asking Daniels to not just lead the Seminoles, but jump-start the program and get Norvell off the hot seat.

Daniels’ journey includes a bumpy ride at Stanford, where he had 12 interceptions in 11 games in 2024, and a one-year stay at Auburn, where he played in four games and nearly helped the Tigers pull off an upset at then-No. 15 Vanderbilt. There are no questions about Daniels’ running ability or his leadership skills, but his propensity for turnovers and his accuracy (a career 60.2% passer) are concerning.

“When I’m not worrying about all of the external things and all the outside noise and the distractions, I think I’m able to pour into my teammates, pour into this team, this offense, everything that I have,” Daniels said. “I really think that’s helped me build that confidence to where I’m going out there and I’m just playing freely.”

How much chemistry Daniels has built with Florida State’s receivers will be on display when Florida State hosts New Mexico State on Saturday night. It’s an early start to the season for the Seminoles, who are 7-17 over the last two years under Norvell — mostly because of inconsistent quarterback play.

Norvell miscalculated on DJ Uiagalelei, who completed just 53.8% of his passes with four touchdowns and six interceptions in five games in 2024. Uiagalelei’s season was cut short because of an injury, and the Seminoles faltered to a 2-10 campaign.

A year ago, Tommy Castellanos’ debut couldn’t have been better as he helped Florida State to a stunning upset of Alabama, 31-17. But the success wasn’t sustainable as Castellanos completed 58.3% of his passes and the Seminoles couldn’t win on the road for a second straight season, finishing 5-7.

Daniels, meanwhile, showed flashes down the stretch in 2025. He took limited risks — throwing just two interceptions in four games — and was a quality runner, gaining 280 yards on 63 carries. But his completion percentage: 57.1.

Norvell often praises Daniels’ command within the offense. Daniels is learning his third system, but he also had a full spring to hone this one and develop chemistry with his receivers, including 1,000-yard receiver Duce Robinson and the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 400-meter record holder, Micahi Danzy.

“This team is excited to follow him, push and fight for him, definitely proud of all the investments that he’s made,” Norvell said. “He’s playing at a high level in his operation of the things that we’re asking him to do.”

In spring 2025, Daniels was finishing up his degree at Stanford and missed spring practice at Auburn. He then lost a preseason camp battle with Jackson Arnold. He found his way onto the field after the Tigers lost four in a row.

Now he’s getting a fresh start and a final chance — much like Norvell.

“I love talking about Ashton just because of how all-around awesome he is,” said Robinson, who worked out with Daniels when the quarterback was at Stanford and the receiver was at Southern Cal. “There’s some people in this life, you meet them and you can tell that they’re built different.

“He’s spent every single day growing, getting better, getting more comfortable in the system. He’s making some incredible throws right now. His accuracy is off the charts. He’s a freak of nature athlete.”

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