Tanner Strickland headed home a cross from Anaiyah Robinson in the 11th minute for the game's first goal, and Ryder Ajeto scored her first collegiate goal in the 64th minute off an assist from Ashley Henderson. An own goal off a corner in the 83rd minute rounded out the scoring.

FSU out-shot FAU 18-2 on the night, including a 7-1 edge in shots on goal, and Kate Ockene played all 90 minutes for the clean sheet.

FSU extended its non-conference unbeaten streak to 36 straight games and has now won nine in a row overall dating back to last year's title run, with a five-game shutout streak to match.

The Seminoles travel to Gainesville Sunday to face rival Florida, their first true road test of the season, at 2 p.m. on SEC Network.

"Absolutely unbelievable experience," Whaley said of the week at Merion. He finished 60th in stroke play, meaning all six golfers he beat in match play finished ahead of him just to make the bracket.

Whaley is the third Englishman ever to win the U.S. Amateur, joining Harold Hilton (1910) and Matt Fitzpatrick (2013), and just the third Seminole ever to reach the final, joining Drew Kittleson (2008) and A. Downing Gray (1962).

The win locks in exemptions into the 2027 Masters, the 127th U.S. Open, and the 2027 Open Championship, on top of Tuesday's Walker Cup selection for Great Britain and Ireland.

Whaley went a perfect 6-0 in match play at Merion after needing a playoff just to survive stroke play, one of the more unlikely runs to a national title in recent college golf memory.

The Desir twins headline the line in different roles, Mandrell inside at 4-i with 6.5 sacks as a true freshman already on his résumé, Darryll on the edge with a better pass-rush win rate despite no sacks last fall. Daniel Lyons anchors the interior with Deante McCray, now over 300 pounds after starting his career as a 245-pound edge rusher, at nose.

Rylan Kennedy projects as the first Jack off the field with Jalen Anderson close behind, a spot White has called near "co-starters" but where Kennedy's edge in pressure rate should get him the bulk of early-down snaps.

Chris Jones is the clear top linebacker, with Caleb LaVallee, Blake Nichelson, Mikai Gbayor, and freshman Izayia Williams all competing for the spot next to him. Ja'Bril Rawls and Quindarrius Jones project as the top two corners, with Nehemiah Chandler pushing hard behind them and also cross-training at nickel.

Ashlynd Barker anchors the rover spot, and the boundary safety job between CJ Richard Jr. and K.J. Kirkland is another spot White has called co-starters, a role that could see a genuinely even split of snaps all season.

Karson Hobbs remains the season's one real loss, but Nehemiah Chandler, André Otto, and Quintrevion Wisner are all back to full practice, and both Mikai Gbayor and Jayvan Boggs are fully cleared, ahead of the game-week timeline Norvell originally expected for both. "It's been good seeing that push," Norvell said. "Getting two guys we expect to be major contributors back a couple weeks early is a great job by our athletic training staff."

"As a whole, I feel good about where we are," Norvell said, noting there won't be an official injury report before the opener since it isn't an ACC game.

Asked to define success for this season, Norvell didn't point to a win total: "For me, it's the best of us showing up. Success is fulfill potential, and I believe in the potential of this team." He twice cited the team's "emotional maturity" through fall camp as a specific point of pride, particularly how each side of the ball responded after a bad practice.

On the depth chart itself, Norvell pushed back on the idea of a rigid two-deep given how many personnel packages the offense will use: "I don't see really ultimate value in putting one out. So we'll see what traditionally has been done here next week, but guys know where they are, and they're fighting for more."

Outside linebacker Brian Burns leads the group at No. 14 after a career year with the Giants (67 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks), his highest ranking ever after checking in at No. 54 back in 2023. Safety Derwin James checked in at No. 50 following a three-year, $75.6 million extension that made him the NFL's highest-paid safety.

Defensive end Jared Verse jumped 18 spots to No. 35 after his second straight Pro Bowl season, edge rusher Josh Sweat climbed to No. 78 off a career-best 12 sacks in his first year in Arizona, and Jalen Ramsey checked in at No. 82 after reinventing himself at safety for the Steelers.

Duce Robinson, Ja'Bril Rawls, Xavier Chaplin, and Daniel Lyons all made the Senior Bowl's Top 300 list, the "official first step" of the NFL Draft process ahead of the January 2027 game in Mobile. Rawls set a career high with 11 tackles against Virginia last season, the first Seminole with that stat line since 2005.

Chaplin also landed on USA Today's list of the ACC's 10 most impactful transfers this week, with the outlet noting his 37 consecutive starts and calling him exactly the kind of O-line upgrade FSU "desperately needs."

Robinson checked in at No. 29 nationally on CBS Sports' Top 150 players list, the fourth-highest receiver behind Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Miami's Malachi Toney, and Texas' Cam Coleman. Sophomore Mandrell Desir also made the list at No. 132, one of nine defensive tackles included.

A Louisiana court granted a temporary restraining order this week covering Class of 2022 players still in NFL training camps, opening a seven-day transfer portal window for them, on top of last month's Colorado injunction. Thomas Castellanos is now waiting on a separate ruling from a Kentucky judge and continues to draw interest from Power Four programs.

FSU was also one of several schools, along with Miami, Clemson, and Stanford, that lobbied against an anti-expansion provision in the Protect College Sports Act, a federal bill that's scheduled for a Senate vote the week of Sept. 14 after a delay earlier this month.

Former FSU cornerback Jerry Wilson, currently in Los Angeles Chargers camp after going undrafted, would be an option worth pursuing if he's cut and the ruling holds, given how thin FSU is at CB2 behind Ja'Bril Rawls. He had three interceptions and three pass breakups in his final Seminole season.

Wilson isn't perfect, he's undersized at 5-foot-10 and got picked on some last season, but he's comfortable in White's zone-heavy scheme and would be a low-cost, low-risk depth addition at a position FSU can't afford another injury at.

FSU volleyball hosts its annual Garnet and Gold Scrimmage Friday at 6 p.m., free admission, the first look at first-year head coach Lindsay Allman's team. Preseason All-ACC outside hitter Kyleene Filimaua returns after leading the team with 443 kills and 42 aces a year ago.

Transfer setters Emma Lilo (Oregon State) and Callie Kieffer (Alabama) both arrive with over 1,000 career assists, and the Seminoles open the season Aug. 28-30 at FGCU against No. 24 BYU, VCU, and the host Eagles.

FSU lost its entire starting pitching rotation to the MLB Draft, but analyst Chris Chavez said the roster reload has been strong: "Right now, their lineup is so loaded in what they've got, whether it be their arms or just even position players. They're where they want to be." South Florida product Genson Veras, who hit three of the 10 longest home runs at the MLB Draft Combine, headlines the incoming power.

FSU baseball's fall slate includes an exhibition Oct. 10 at Pensacola's Blue Wahoos Stadium.