New Mexico State ranked 113th nationally in total offense last season at 327.9 yards per game, struggling badly on the ground (134th, 77.3 yards per game) but showing more life through the air (43rd, 250.7 yards per game).

Defensively, the Aggies allowed 401.8 yards and 27.6 points per game, ranking 96th nationally, though they did force 24 takeaways on the season.

New Mexico State returns just eight starters from a year ago, but the transfer portal has restocked the roster with 31 players who carry starting experience elsewhere.

Furman transfer quarterback Trey Hedden threw for 4,734 yards and 30 touchdowns across two seasons before landing at New Mexico State, giving offensive coordinator David Yost a genuine downfield threat if he trusts the arm.

Fifth-year receiver TK King led all Conference USA players in receiving yards per game a year ago and doubles as the team's primary return man in both phases.

Defensive end Gabe Peterson, back for a second stint with the Aggies after a run through Utah State, is viewed as the team's top pass rusher after a Conference USA Preseason nod.

Florida State opens its 80th season at 56-23 all-time in openers and 60-19 at home, with Saturday marking the program's first meeting with New Mexico State since that 1964 win.

FSU's transfer class alone has combined for 592 career games and 283 starts, completing 62 percent of its passes for 12,553 yards and 78 touchdowns as a group, with all five offensive line transfers having started at least 10 games in their careers.

Sophomore defensive lineman Mandrell Desir returns after a true freshman All-American season in which he posted 30 tackles and 6.5 sacks, the third-most sacks by a true freshman in program history.

Norvell said the decision comes down to keeping competition alive all year. “Guys know where they are,” he said, adding that a bad Monday practice “doesn’t always mean...this other guy is gonna start.”

He also pointed to FSU’s use of multiple personnel groupings on both sides of the ball as a reason a traditional two-deep would not accurately reflect who actually plays. “We could put 15 positions up there,” Norvell said. “Defensively, same thing.”

The move continues a broader pattern of reduced access under Norvell, following closed practices since spring 2025 and the elimination of the spring game, and it has drawn criticism from some corners of the fan base craving more transparency.

Behind Ashton Daniels at quarterback, JUCO transfer Malachi Marshall appears to have overtaken Kevin Sperry for the No. 2 job, with Norvell saying Marshall has “exceeded expectations” since arriving this summer.

Along the line, sophomore Paul Bowling has pushed returner Andre' Otto hard enough at left guard that either could start, right tackle remains split between Nate Pabst and Chimdia Nwaiwu, and cornerback opposite Ja'Bril Rawls is still a real competition between senior Quindarrius Jones and South Alabama transfer Nehemiah Chandler, who posted 13 pass breakups a year ago.

The clearest health update of the week came at running back, where Norvell confirmed Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner, who missed both preseason scrimmages, will be available Saturday and slots back into a three-man rotation with Ousmane Kromah and Samuel Singleton Jr.

Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna standout Brady Quinn, the No. 2 uncommitted quarterback in Florida for the 2028 class, will be in Tallahassee this Saturday before also visiting UCLA on September 12.

Quinn said constant communication from both staffs stands out, and FSU quarterbacks coach Austin Tucker has made him a top target since offering him back in October 2025.

Quinn does not plan to decide until December or January, wanting to take in game-day visits first. He opened his junior season with 314 yards and five touchdowns on 75 percent passing.

The Miramar (Fla.) product received an offer from Florida State late Sunday and has already penciled in a trip to Tallahassee for the SMU game on September 7.

Thigpen credited offensive line coach Herb Hand for breaking down pass-protection mechanics in detail during their first conversations, calling it “a blessing.”

He also has visits lined up to see Virginia Tech, NC State and Miami play this fall, and holds an 87 prospect rating as the No. 40 offensive tackle nationally.

Former Pitt outfielder AJ Nessler, a Tampa Jesuit product, committed to FSU after starting 137 games across four seasons between Pitt and UCF.

As a senior, Nessler hit .310 with a .410 on-base percentage and stole 13 bases in 14 attempts. He has also faced FSU eight times in his career and collected at least one hit in six of those games.

His extra year of eligibility stems from a court ruling tied to the 2022 recruiting class, a situation that remains fluid across the sport.

FSU saw 10 players selected in this year's MLB Draft, led by pitcher Wes Mendes (2.90 ERA, 125 strikeouts) and middle-of-the-order bat Myles Bailey, who posted a 1.495 OPS with 13 home runs in his final season.

The incoming class is headlined by JUCO slugger Coy Clements (.392 average, 24 home runs, 71 RBI) and two-way transfer Jackson McKenzie, who hit .397 with a 1.333 OPS a year ago.

On the mound, incoming transfer Cayden Suchy (2.72 ERA, 105 strikeouts in 89.2 innings) gives the staff another proven arm to plug into the rotation.

Lopez enjoyed four straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons in high school and helped Chaminade win a state title as a junior, after starting his youth career at quarterback.

He steps into arguably FSU's deepest position group behind preseason All-American Duce Robinson and breakout receiver Micahi Danzy, giving him a chance to develop without being the focal point immediately.

Norvell has praised his consistency throughout camp, and special teams coordinator Adam Scheier said Lopez has shown the “confidence and moxie” to handle punt returns as a true freshman.

Lopez practiced with FSU's basketball team after enrolling in January but did not appear in a game, preserving his hoops eligibility for later this year.

He sees real overlap between the sports, comparing his ability to start and stop on the football field to a crossover dribble, and catching a football at its high point to fighting for a rebound.

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FSU's ranking comes with the acknowledgment that the Seminoles play seven of the league's top eight teams by ACC title odds this season, one of the toughest slates in the conference.

Miami sits atop the rankings as the presumptive ACC favorite, with SMU and Louisville rounding out the top tier before FSU's group of contenders further down the board.

The same outlook singles out Duce Robinson, Ousmane Kromah and the receiving trio around Ashton Daniels as reasons for optimism, even with real questions remaining up front.

USA Today's preseason Top 100 players list ranked Robinson 27th nationally entering the year, one of just a handful of ACC receivers to crack the list.

It is another marker of the respect Robinson has built after leading the league with 1,081 receiving yards last season.

“Picking the right quarterback, or picking the wrong quarterback, can absolutely determine your whole season,” Henshaw told Warchant, pointing to Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss as an example of a portal gamble paying off immediately.

The tape backs up why that matters for Daniels specifically: he completes over 70 percent of his passes when he gets the ball out in under 2.5 seconds, but that number falls to 43 percent on dropbacks longer than 3.5 seconds, where he faces pressure more than 70 percent of the time.

Henshaw called FSU's quarterback room a genuine advantage this year, noting both Malachi Marshall and Kevin Sperry have already played meaningful college snaps, unlike the situation FSU faced the last two seasons.

Elsewhere in the quarterback world, former FSU signee Luke Kromenhoek lost the starting job at South Florida on Monday, with new head coach Brian Hartline naming Michael Van Buren the Bulls' starter instead.

Kromenhoek was FSU's highest-rated quarterback recruit of the Norvell era before transferring to Mississippi State and then USF, a reminder of how unsettled the position has been across the sport, not just in Tallahassee.