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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Thursday, Seminole!

Here’s what’s driving today’s conversation around Florida State from national titles and academic excellence to portal prep and roster reality.

⚽ Heather Gilchrist’s All-Around Greatness ⚽
A championship defender caps her FSU career with rare Academic All-America honors, cementing her place among the program’s all-time greats on and off the field.

🏐 Iane Henke’s Historic Finish 🏐
FSU volleyball’s senior star adds AVCA All-America recognition to a résumé that rewrote program record books and launched a pro career.

🏊‍♀️ Diving Delivers on a National Stage 🏊‍♂️
Florida State posts multiple top-10 finishes at USA Diving Winter Nationals, highlighting depth and momentum heading into the spring.

🏀 Women’s Hoops Back in ACC Mode 🏀
FSU hosts Virginia Tech on Throwback Thursday, leaning on elite shooting depth and surging guard play to reassert itself in conference action.

🏈 Portal Prep Is Already Underway 🏈
Before the window even opens, FSU is quietly laying NIL and visit groundwork as two defensive names emerge as early portal possibilities.

📊 Roster Reality Check for 2026 📊
A production-based breakdown shows exactly how much is leaving — and where Florida State must rebuild from the ground up this offseason.

🧱 A Five-Star OL Target Watches Closely 🧱
Elite 2027 offensive tackle Mark Matthews keeps FSU firmly in his sights, with coaching stability and development now central to his decision-making.

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⚽ Heather Gilchrist Earns Academic All-America Honors ⚽

Florida State senior defender Heather Gilchrist capped a championship season with elite recognition on and off the field.

🔥 Academic & National Honors

• Named CSC Academic All-America Second Team — the 8th Academic All-America honor in program history and FSU’s first since 2022.

• Earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-South Region First Team, the program’s first Academic All-Region selection since 2020.

• Became just the third Seminole ever to earn both CSC Academic All-America and United Soccer Coaches All-America honors in the same season.

🏆 A Loaded 2025 Resume

• United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team

• College Cup All-Tournament Team

• Third Team All-ACC

• Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List

• Multiple Academic All-ACC and Academic Honor Roll selections

🧱 Impact on the Field

• Anchored a defense that posted 13 shutouts, including four in the NCAA Tournament and both College Cup matches.

• Logged a team-high 1,825 minutes, scoring four goals (two game-winners) with one assist.

👉 Read more on Gilchrist’s historic season and where she ranks among FSU’s all-time greats

🏐 Iane Henke Earns AVCA All-America Honorable Mention 🏐

Florida State volleyball’s standout senior added another national honor to a historic career.

🔥 National Recognition

• Named AVCA All-America Honorable Mention

• Marks the third straight season FSU has produced an AVCA All-American or Honorable Mention honoree

📊 Historic Production

• 2nd all-time at FSU in points per set

• 3rd all-time at FSU in kills per set

• Also earned Second Team All-ACC and AVCA First Team All-Region honors

💨 Elite Match Performances

• Recorded 15+ kills while hitting .300+ in four straight matches (North Florida, USF, South Carolina, Oklahoma)

  • First Seminole to do so since Norisha Campbell (2001)

• Logged 20+ kills in four consecutive matches (Clemson, Georgia Tech, Cal, Virginia)

  • First player in program history to accomplish that in the rally scoring era

🏐 What’s Next

• Selected 24th overall in the MLV Draft by the Orlando Valkyries

👉 Read more on Henke’s historic finish, record-setting streaks, and pro future

🏊‍♀️ FSU Diving Shines at USA Diving Winter Nationals 🏊‍♂️

Florida State wrapped up the 2025 portion of its season with multiple top-10 finishes on a national stage in Texas.

🔥 Top Performers

• Kayleigh Clark (RS Sr.) led the Seminoles

  • 5th place in women’s platform (543.80 total)

  • 5th place in women’s synchronized 3-meter (220.68)

💨 Strong Synchronized Results

• Men’s 3-meter synchro

  • Jack Bessire (Jr.) & Jack Sparks (Fr.): 5th place (628.50)

  • Hayden Schroeder (So.) & Noah Turner (So.): 6th place (622.23)

🧠 Individual Highlights

• Jack Sparks: 7th in men’s 1-meter qualifying

• Maxwell Shaver (Fr.): 9th in men’s 1-meter qualifying

• Evelyn Hall (So.): 17th in women’s 1-meter qualifying

• Multiple Seminoles advanced through prelims across 1m, 3m, and platform events

📅 What’s Next
FSU returns home to host Villanova at the Morcom Aquatics Center on January 6.

👉 Read more for full results and event-by-event breakdowns

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🏀 FSU Women’s Basketball Hosts Virginia Tech on Throwback Thursday 🏀

Florida State returns to ACC play Thursday night, welcoming Virginia Tech to the Tucker Center in a matchup built around shooting, depth, and a little nostalgia.

🔥 Game Snapshot

• Opponent: Virginia Tech (9–3, 0–1 ACC)

• Date: Thursday

• Time: 6:00 p.m. ET

• Location: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center

• TV: ACC Network Extra

• Theme: Throwback Thursday — fans encouraged to wear vintage FSU gear

📊 By the Numbers

• FSU leads the ACC in 3-pointers per game (9.0)

• One of just 8 teams nationally with six players averaging 9+ PPG

• Series edge: FSU leads 32–12, winning the last two meetings

💨 Players Trending Up

• Solè Williams

  • Team-leading 15.5 PPG (5th in ACC)

  • 171 total points, 3rd in the conference

• Emma Risch

  • Averaging 13.3 PPG over the last four games

  • 47.8% from three in that span (11-of-23)

  • 2nd in the ACC in season-long 3PT percentage (43.9%)

🔙 Last Time Out

• Four Seminoles scored in double figures vs. College of Charleston

• Risch: 18 points, season-high 5 threes, career-best 7 rebounds

• Avery Treadwell: career-high 9 rebounds, perfect 5-for-5 shooting

👉 Read more for matchup notes, broadcast info, and what to watch Thursday night

🏈 Portal Prep Mode: Two Defensive Names Emerging for FSU 🏈

With the January 2 transfer window approaching, Florida State is already laying groundwork behind the scenes and two defensive targets have begun to surface as early possibilities.

🔥 How the Pre-Portal Process Works

• The portal isn’t open yet, so FSU cannot directly contact players

• Programs can communicate with agents/representatives

• That’s where NIL frameworks, visit timing, and mutual interest start to take shape before Jan. 2

🧠 Why This Matters
This is the quiet-but-critical phase of the portal cycle. By the time names officially enter, most serious contenders already know where they stand.

🔥 CB Bradlee Jones — The Citadel

• Size / Speed: 6’1”, 175 lbs | 10.31-second 100m (elite speed)

• Production:

  • 1,570 career snaps

  • 106 tackles

  • 19 passes defended

  • 75 PFF grade in 2025

• Portal Ranking:

  • 3★ transfer

  • Top-10 CB nationally in 247Sports portal rankings

💨 What Makes Him Interesting

• Held his own on tape vs. Clemson

• Rare size-speed combo at the FCS level

• Evaluators view him as a developmental Power Four starter

🧭 FSU Intel

• Jones says FSU interest is currently “lukewarm”

• A Jan. 2 visit is possible, but not locked in

• Other schools in the mix: Houston, Rutgers, Washington State, Arkansas State

🧠 Scout Take (Cooper Petagna)

🔥 LB Tristan Exline — UT Permian Basin

• Level: Division II

• Accolades: Two-time All-American, team captain

• 2025 Stats:

  • 143 tackles

  • 20 TFL

  • 6 sacks

  • 1 INT, 2 PBUs

• Portal Ranking:

  • 84 grade

  • No. 31 LB nationally

💨 FSU Intel

• Likely to visit FSU on Jan. 2, first day of the portal

• Other scheduled visits: Buffalo, UTSA, North Texas, FAU

• Visit to Tallahassee is possible, but not finalized

🧠 Profile

• High-motor, ultra-productive linebacker

• Clear step-up candidate seeking Power Four exposure

• Would project as experienced depth with upside in a reworked LB room

🔒 Why It Matters
With the secondary already a portal priority and linebacker depth thinning, FSU is clearly casting a wide but targeted net early. Bradlee Jones represents a high-upside athletic swing at corner, while Exline fits the mold of an instant-production defender looking to scale up. Whether either lands in Tallahassee will hinge on NIL alignment, visit traction, and positional urgency once the window officially opens.

👉 Read more for visit updates, portal rankings movement, and how FSU’s early strategy is taking shape ahead of Jan. 2

🏈 Roster Reality Check: What FSU Is Losing and What’s Left; Entering 2026 🏈

Three weeks into the offseason, Florida State’s roster math is coming into focus. When you strip it down by actual production, the picture is clear: some areas are stabilizing, while others are being completely reset.

🔥 Passing: Almost Everything Walked Out the Door

• Tommy Castellanos exhausted eligibility

  • 91.4% of attempts

  • 90.9% of passing yards

  • 80.0% of passing TDs

  • 100% of interceptions

• Randy Pittman Jr. (portal)

  • 1-of-1 passing, TD

🧠 Bottom line: FSU is essentially starting from scratch at quarterback (obviously).

🔥 Rushing: Volume Lost, Core Still Intact

• Castellanos was the leading rusher (557 yards, 9 TDs)

• Departing rush production:

  • 216 carries (42.7%)

  • 946 yards (36.1%)

  • 15 TDs (48.4%)

• That said, FSU’s next four leading rushers are currently set to return

🧠 Bottom line: Usage will look different under Malzahn, but this room has enough returning bodies to avoid panic, depending on OL rebuild.

🔥 Receiving: Top-End Stability, TE Void

• Returning anchors:

  • Duce Robinson (56–1,081–6)

  • Lawayne McCoy (27–396–3)

  • Micahi Danzy (27–571–3)

• Major loss:

  • TE Randy Pittman Jr. (23–208–2)

  • Accounted for ~70% of TE production

• Total departing receiving production:

  • 47 catches (23.5%)

  • 442 yards (14.5%)

  • 2 TDs (10%)

🧠 Bottom line: WR room is in good shape. Tight end is not.

🔥 Offensive Line: Full Reset

• All five starters + top reserve exhausted eligibility

• Combined snap share:

  • 4,012 of 4,375 snaps (91.7%)

• Every meaningful OL rep from 2025 is gone

🧠 Bottom line: This is the biggest rebuild on the roster. Portal + development must hit immediately.

🔥 Defense: Production Drain Is Real

• Departing 8 of top 22 tacklers

• Total lost:

  • 337 tackles (41.3%)

  • 22 TFLs (30.1%)

  • 8.5 sacks (27.4%)

• Freshman Mandrell Desir (7.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks) remains the cornerstone

🧠 Bottom line: Front seven has a young anchor, but depth and experience are bleeding out.

🔥 Takeaways: Secondary Hit Hard

• Interceptions lost: 8 of 12 (66.7%)

• Forced fumbles lost: 42.8%

• Earl Little Jr. (4 INTs) still undecided (NFL / portal / return)

🧠 Bottom line: Turnover production must be rebuilt almost entirely, especially in the secondary.

🔥 Return Game: Nearly Wiped Clean

• Punt returns lost: 83.3% of attempts

• Kick return yards lost: 87.0%

• Primary returners Squirrel White and Jaylin Lucas are both gone

🧠 Bottom line: Special teams roles are wide open — opportunity, but also uncertainty.

🔒 Why It Matters
This isn’t a vibes-based rebuild, it’s a numbers-based one. Florida State is losing:

• Its entire QB passing profile

• All starting offensive linemen

• Two-thirds of its interceptions

• Major veteran production on defense and special teams

This portal period is about replacing baseline functionality yet again. How efficiently FSU patches these holes will determine whether 2026 is a controlled reset… or another season spent chasing stability.

🏈 FSU in the Mix for 5★ OT Mark Matthews as Coaching Stability Takes Center Stage 🏈

One of the nation’s top offensive line prospects is entering a critical evaluation phase — and Florida State remains firmly on his radar.

🔥 Who He Is

• Mark Matthews, five-star offensive tackle

• No. 1 OT and No. 3 overall player in the 2027 class

• 6-foot-6, 300 pounds

• St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)

💨 Recruitment Wide Open

• Still considering 15–16 schools

• Planning extensive January and spring visits

• List includes: Florida State, Florida, Miami, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Notre Dame, Auburn, Oregon, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Nebraska

🧠 Why FSU Has His Attention

• Strong impression of Mike Norvell, Herb Hand, and Gus Malzahn

• Matthews specifically praised Hand’s coaching style after seeing spring practice

• Views FSU’s offensive staff as experienced and aligned

🔍 What Matters Most to Him

• Spring practices are the top evaluation tool

• Wants to see:

  • How coaches actually coach

  • Player development

  • Path to early playing time

• Family focus (especially from mom):

  • Will the head coach and position coach still be there when he’s a sophomore or junior?

📅 What’s Next

• Spring visits and junior days will shape his shortlist

• Plans to limit official visits to six or seven

• In-state familiarity helps, but Matthews is intentionally keeping his options wide

🔒 Why It Matters
FSU’s offensive line rebuild is about stacking elite future talent; hopefully not just one year stop-gaps. With coaching continuity and Herb Hand’s reputation resonating, Florida State has a real seat at the table for one of the most important linemen in the 2027 cycle. Stability, development, and early opportunity will decide whether the Noles can close.

Read more here

And that’s a wrap!

National titles. Academic excellence. Development that matters.
And now, a pivotal offseason where alignment, evaluation, and execution will decide whether the next step is forward — or familiar.

The margins are thin. The decisions are loud.
And January is coming fast.

Talk soon,
– The Chief