TALLAHASSEE — When Florida State coaches Mike Norvell and Gus Malzahn met with transfer quarterbacks in January, they picked Ashton Daniels because of his experience, leadership and mobility over his arm talent.
Read more Orlando Pride feel good about facing Thorns at home amid playoff push
They also picked Daniels because of Saturday’s opponent: Alabama.
Daniels is at FSU because of his strengths and that he appeared to be a good fit for FSU’s offense and Norvell’s scheme, at the time run by offensive coordinator Malzahn. The former UCF coach, though, retired in February. Daniels, however, has been inconsistent in FSU’s 1-1 start going into the matchup at No. 10 Alabama (3:30 p.m. on ABC).
Part of Daniels’ audition, beyond the interviews at FSU back in January, were two of his performances at Auburn in 2025. Daniels passed for 353 yards and two touchdowns with 89 rushing yards in a 45-38 overtime loss at No. 16 Vanderbilt. A few weeks later, he passed for 259 yards, a touchdown, an interception and ran for 108 yards in a 27-20 home loss to the Crimson Tide.
Although they were defeats, Daniels showed he could lead the offense and put his team in a position to win against ranked teams in his first (and only) year at Auburn. Why couldn’t Daniels do the same in his first (and only) year at FSU, the coaches thought?
Daniels’ debut at FSU included an interception, but the Seminoles scored on six of nine drives in a 34-17 win over New Mexico State. On Labor Day, he was again under a constant pass rush and labored through a night where he was just 12 of 23 for 125 yards, a touchdown, no interceptions but also picked up 71 yards on 16 carries in a 27-24 loss to SMU.
The performances showed little connection with star receiver Duce Robinson, and Norvell clearly leaned on the run (45 carries vs. 23 passes) in the loss to the Mustangs. It’s an understatement, but Daniels and the passing game must find a better rhythm behind a patchwork offensive line to complement what’s been a productive ground attack.
Read more Griezmann hurt, status unknown for Orlando City against New England
“There’s plenty of times that you see guys get knocked down,” Norvell said. “If you stay down, if you hang your head, if you get caught up in whatever the situation is, and you don’t have the approach for your improvement and your growth, then that’s where that can continue to linger.”
Norvell picked DJ Uiagalelei (2024), Tommy Castellanos (2025) and Daniels, decisions that so far have yielded just four wins over Power 4 teams. He has been Daniels’ hype man throughout spring practices and preseason camp. With practices closed to media and fans, and no spring game, Norvell has been mostly positive when asked about FSU’s No. 1 quarterback.
This week, even amid the firing of athletic director Michael Alford, Norvell again praised Daniels for how he handled the bye week and “the ownership he takes” in his job and FSU’s offense.
Daniels has beaten just a small number of power conference teams: Colorado and Washington State (2023), Syracuse and No. 19 Louisville (2024) and Arkansas (2025). That’s it. Quarterbacks often get too much credit and blame, and there will forever be a debate over how much their win-loss records as a starter should be weighed compared to accuracy, touchdown passes and avoiding interceptions.
An upset of Alabama would mean everything for Daniels’s career. And Norvell’s career, too.
Read more Maxwell: Disney backs Uthmeier — and anyone else who can do Mickey favors