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Ashton Daniels has to be the best version of himself consistently, not just in flashes, given his career has featured good moments, like last year's Vanderbilt game at Auburn, mixed with plenty of forgettable ones.

Offensive line coach Herb Hand has to turn a group built primarily around transfers into a genuine strength again, not just a capable unit, giving Daniels the protection he's struggled to handle throughout his career.

New pass rush additions Nick Williams and Rylan Kennedy have to become the disruptive presence FSU lacked a year ago, turning Kennedy's potential into actual production.

A remade linebacker room under new coach Ernie Sims needs to be more than reliable after being a major weakness in 2025, with Chris Jones setting the tone as the "apex predator" Sims wants.

Above all, the group needs actual resilience. FSU's schedule is viewed by some metrics as the toughest in the ACC, and the program has repeatedly turned one loss into a losing streak in each of the past two seasons.

Norvell last called plays for a fully functional offense on November 11, 2023, when FSU beat Miami 27-20, before Jordan Travis's injury the following week changed everything. Gus Malzahn ran the offense in 2025, and 2024 devolved into what was effectively a punting operation after injuries piled up.

Norvell said calling plays is something he's done throughout his career and pointed to FSU's returning weapons, Duce Robinson, Micahi Danzy, Ousmane Kromah and Tre Wisner, as reasons for his excitement heading into Saturday.

Norvell said tempo will be a game-flow decision rather than a fixed target, explaining he has never cared about hitting a specific play count and would rather control pace to protect a competitive advantage on both sides of the ball.

He also wants the flexibility to manage his defense's snaps by varying pace when FSU controls a long drive, giving both sides of the ball a chance to rest when the game allows for it.

The Aggies operate out of the same 3-3-5 nickel package FSU uses under Tony White, playing five defensive backs at the third-highest rate in the country a year ago, with three safeties rotating through two-high shells like Cover 2, Cover 4 and Cover 6.

Norvell called the structural overlap real but noted each staff builds its own wrinkles around it. "You can see a coordinator, coaches that play to their personnel and do a good job of trying to put their guys in the best position to be successful," he said.

New Mexico State ranked outside the top 100 with just 19 sacks last season but tied for fourth nationally with 24 takeaways, including the fifth-most interceptions in the country with 16, meaning the disruption comes from the back end rather than the pass rush.

Aggies head coach Tony Sanchez, who has known Norvell since recruiting against him years ago, said his staff leaned on film study rather than reputation given how much roster turnover both teams have had. "You want to watch Daniels and what he did at his previous stops," Sanchez said.

Sanchez singled out Duce Robinson by name as the player his defense has to account for on every snap. "You've got to know where Duce is, that big ol' receiver," he said.

Devin Carter, already known to be dealing with a back injury, is officially trending toward missing Saturday's opener, with Norvell saying he'll "probably be one that's unavailable this week."

Running back Tre Wisner, receiver Jayvan Boggs and linebacker Mikai Gbayor are all confirmed available, giving FSU close to full strength at its two most banged-up position groups.

Tight end Chase Loftin, who battled a minor injury in camp, has trended in the right direction over the past week and continues adding size, checking in above 230 pounds after playing receiver last season.

A recent sports medicine study tracking a high school player with the same injury, multiple transverse process fractures, found a four-week return timeline, which would put Carter on track for FSU's Alabama or Central Arkansas games if his recovery follows a similar path.

The model has FSU rolling past New Mexico State 44-12 in the opener before dropping a 31-24 decision to No. 19 SMU and falling 28-12 at Alabama, before a get-well game against Central Arkansas projected as a 70-14 win.

Virginia is projected as a 23-20 win in Week 5, a game framed as a near must-win for Norvell's job security given the gauntlet that follows.

FSU is projected to lose four of five games from Weeks 6 through 9, at Louisville, at Miami and at home against Clemson, before a bounce-back road win at Boston College.

The model has the Seminoles closing at 6-6 in the regular season, with wins over Pittsburgh and NC State offsetting a Week 13 loss to Florida.

The Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day standout, the No. 14 overall prospect and No. 4 edge rusher in the 2028 class, has FSU's October 31 game against Clemson on his fall visit schedule, along with an October 17 trip for the Miami game.

Thomas named Georgia, Florida and Kentucky as the programs standing out most right now, though he does not plan to commit until sometime during his senior year, leaving FSU real time to make its case.

The four-star offensive tackle, who is not wavering on his May commitment to Nebraska, will be in Tallahassee Saturday specifically to gauge whether the program has changed since he last visited for last season's Virginia Tech win.

Aliu credited offensive line coach Herb Hand and FSU's staff for staying in touch since offering him in January, and said he's also trying to help a teammate, 2028 defensive lineman Darion Newton, build a relationship with the Seminoles.

No. 3 overall prospect Cayden Daughtry, the nation's top point guard, headlines the group, joined by four-star wing Moussa Kamissoko and four-star guard Jarvis Hayes Jr. National recruiting analysts consider Daughtry the most skilled player in high school basketball, praising his advanced ball-handling and floater game.

Head coach Luke Loucks has been engaged with Daughtry since the day he took the job, and FSU's recruitment of him dates back to the Leonard Hamilton era. Iowa is the only other official visit currently on Daughtry's calendar, set for September 11.

FSU is also pursuing five-star forward CJ Rosser, the No. 2 overall prospect nationally, and five-star center Lewis Uvwo, the breakout riser of the summer, though neither has an FSU official visit locked in yet.

Five-star wing Jordan Page, ranked 10th nationally, has expressed mutual interest in FSU since being offered, while the staff continues chasing an official visit from five-star forward AJ Williams, viewed as a longshot given his depth of interest elsewhere.

Thomas Castellanos signed with Texas Tech out of the portal, remaining eligible thanks to a Kentucky judge's injunction in a separate eligibility lawsuit, even after the Big 12 adopted a new rule barring professional athletes just hours after his commitment.

Because Castellanos attended an NFL rookie minicamp without signing a contract, the league ruled he does not qualify as a professional athlete under the new policy, clearing him to compete this fall.

Castellanos completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 2,760 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season, adding 557 rushing yards and nine more scores, and led FSU's upset win over Alabama in Week 1.

He is expected to back up returning starter Will Hammond at Texas Tech, the preseason favorite to win the Big 12.

Head coach Link Jarrett's roster includes eight incoming freshmen, eight college transfers and five JUCO additions, with the group set to travel to Pensacola for a scrimmage against Auburn in six weeks.

Outfielder AJ Nessler, whose commitment was previously reported, is not yet on the official roster but is expected to join the group after benefiting from the same court ruling extending eligibility for 2022 signees.

FSU's top two high school signees in the class, Kaden Waechter and Landon Thome, both signed with their professional clubs after being selected in the MLB Draft rather than enrolling at FSU.

It is a reminder of how directly the draft can reshape an incoming class, even for a program that landed both players in the first place.