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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy New Year, Seminole!

A New Year edition loaded with roster movement, portal momentum, and one last look back at a defining FSU baseball season — with 2026 already coming into focus.

⚽ New Year’s Day Hoops in the Dome ⚽
FSU women’s basketball opens the calendar year with an ACC road test at Syracuse, while the Seminoles look to build momentum after a dominant tune-up win.

🏈 Defensive Shakeups — And a Major Stabilizer 🏈
A longtime assistant departs, a defensive tackle hits the portal — but the biggest news? Ja’Bril Rawls reversing course and returning, instantly reshaping the secondary outlook.

⚾ From Walk-Offs to the Minors: Baseball’s Pipeline Moment ⚾
We revisit the three moments that defined FSU baseball’s 2025 season and take stock of a thriving pro pipeline with 27 former Seminoles under MiLB contracts.

🧭 Portal Board Watch: January 2 Is Almost Here 🧭
Quarterback, offensive line, defensive front, and linebacker targets are starting to crystallize. We break down the names trending up — and where urgency is highest.

🧠 Recruiting Check-In: Batson Still Solid 🧠
FSU’s 2027 linebacker commit is hearing from others, but Tallahassee still feels like home — and the relationships continue to matter most.

A.I. & Robotics is Reshaping the Smart Home and Big Tech Wants In

Apple is rolling out Face-ID door locks and robotic smart displays. Elon Musk is quietly building the Tesla Smart Home. A.I. and robotics are driving the next wave of smart home innovation — and the window is open to invest in the companies that can define it.

One category is far bigger than most people realize: window shades. There are billions across homes, offices, and hotels — and almost all of them are still manual.

The last wave created major outcomes. Google bought Nest for $3.2 Billion. Amazon bought Ring for $1.2 Billion. Investors are now hunting for the next category leader — the one that can deliver real exit potential.

RYSE is leading this market with 10 patents, $15 million in revenue, and 200% annual growth. Their a prime acquisition target in a massive, untouched market. And RYSE is pre-IPO with a reserved Nasdaq ticker, giving investors exposure to multiple potential exit paths.

At $2.35 per share, this is your moment to get in before the next wave hits.

🏀🎆 New Year’s Day Road Test: FSU Women at Syracuse 🎆🏀

Florida State opens 2026 on the road Thursday night with an early ACC challenge in the Dome.

🔥 Game Snapshot

• 🆚 Syracuse

• 🏟️ JMA Wireless Dome

• ⏰ 6:00 p.m. ET

• 📺 ACC Network Extra

• 📻 Seminole Sports Network (96.5 The Spear / SiriusXM app)

📊 What to Know

• FSU enters at 5–9 (0–2 ACC); Syracuse is 11–2 (1–1 ACC)

• Seminoles are 8–6 all-time vs. the Orange

• FSU has won three of the last four regular-season meetings

• Third New Year’s Day game in program history (1–1 all-time)

🔥 Why FSU Can Compete

• One of just nine teams nationally with six players averaging 9.0+ PPG

• Sole Williams leads the way at 14.8 PPG

• Coming off an 89–41 win over South Carolina State

💪 Last Time Out

• Jasmine Shavers: 29 points, 12 rebounds, 11-for-11 from the free throw line (ties program record)

• Pania Davis: 14 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists

• Avery Treadwell: career-high 11 rebounds

🔍 Why It Matters
ACC play doesn’t ease in and this New Year’s opener is an immediate measuring stick against a strong Syracuse squad at home.

👉 Full game preview, broadcast info, and matchup history at the source

🏈🚪 Longtime FSU Assistant John Papuchis Headed to Missouri 🚪🏈

After six seasons in Tallahassee, Florida State is losing one of Mike Norvell’s original staff members.

🔥 The Move

• Linebackers coach and special teams coordinator John Papuchis is expected to join Missouri Tigers as an assistant coach, per ESPN

• Papuchis had been on Norvell’s staff since 2020, spanning multiple defensive roles

🧠 His Tenure at FSU

• Originally hired as defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator

• Coached elite edge talent, including:

  • Jermaine Johnson

  • Jared Verse

  • ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Payton

• Shifted to linebackers coach in 2025 under DC Tony White while retaining special teams duties

📉 Mixed Results Down the Stretch

• Edge and linebacker units declined in effectiveness over the past two seasons

• Special teams featured extremes:

  • High points: All-Americans Alex Mastromanno and Ryan Fitzgerald

  • Ongoing issues: punt return instability and a sharp overall drop-off in 2025

🔄 Big Picture

• Papuchis’ exit removes one of the longest-tenured voices on Norvell’s staff

• Adds to a broader defensive reset already underway at Florida State Seminoles

• Opens the door for a new direction at linebacker and special teams — two areas that clearly need recalibration

👉 Full context on Papuchis’ departure, his impact at FSU, and what this means for the Seminoles’ evolving staff structure at the sourc.

🏈🔒 Ja’Bril Rawls Reverses Course, Will Return to FSU 🔒🏈

In a massive late twist, Florida State is getting its top cover corner back.

🔥 The News

• Cornerback Ja’Bril Rawls is now expected to return to Florida State Seminoles after previously announcing plans to enter the Transfer Portal

• His decision dramatically changes the outlook of FSU’s secondary entering 2026

📊 Why This Is Huge

• Rawls was arguably FSU’s best defender in 2025

• With multiple starters leaving, FSU had been facing a full rebuild in the secondary — this stabilizes everything

📈 2025 Impact (Beyond the Box Score)

• 40 tackles

• 2.0 TFL + forced fumble

• 2 pass breakups

• 73.4 PFF grade

• Allowed just 2 TDs vs. 1 INT

• Strong perimeter defender vs. both the run and short passing game

Rawls wasn’t just productive — he was reliable, physical, and assignment-sound, which is exactly what FSU lacked at times last season.

🧠 Context That Matters

• Missed the final two games with a shoulder injury

• Was ranked by 247Sports as:

  • No. 27 overall portal player

  • No. 1 cornerback in the portal pool before deciding to stay

🧬 Development Win

• Pensacola Catholic product

• Signed with FSU in the 2023 class as a three-star recruit

• Emerged into a legitimate high-level ACC corner through on-field development

🔍 Big Picture

Instead of scrambling to replace every proven defensive back, FSU now builds around a known CB1 while supplementing through the portal. For a defense already under heavy transition, Rawls’ return is the single biggest stabilizing move of the offseason so far.

👉 Full details on Rawls’ decision, performance data, and what his return means for FSU’s portal strategy at the source

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⚾🔥 Remembering 2025, Building the Pipeline: FSU Baseball Turns the Page 🔥⚾

With Opening Day set for February 13 at Dick Howser Stadium, Florida State baseball enters 2026 with fresh expectations — and a 2025 season that left real fingerprints on the program’s identity and its pro pipeline.

🕰️ Three Moments That Defined 2025

💥 Alex Lodise’s Walk-Off Cycle (vs. Florida)

One of the greatest individual moments in program history.

• Lodise completed the cycle with a walk-off grand slam against Florida in Jacksonville

• Finished the season:

  • .394 AVG | 17 HR | 68 RBI | 1.167 OPS

• Swept the accolades:

  • Dick Howser Trophy

  • ACC Player & Defender of the Year

  • Consensus First-Team All-American

• Drafted 60th overall by the Atlanta Braves

A signature rivalry moment — and the exclamation point on an all-time season.

🔥 Jamie Arnold’s Curtain Call at Howser

When the lights were brightest, Arnold delivered.

• Final two starts:

  • 13.2 IP | 22 K | 4 ER

• Iconic final inning vs. Mississippi State:

  • 119 pitches

  • Back-to-back strikeouts to escape danger

  • Emotional curtain call as Howser chanted his name

Arnold leaves FSU top-10 all-time in:

• K/9 (12.56)

• Total strikeouts (327)

• K:BB ratio (4.09)

A true ace’s farewell.

🏟️ Regional Grit: Comeback Win vs. Mississippi State

The final home game of 2025 had everything.

• Link Jarrett ejection

• Wes Mendes’ career night:

  • 8 IP | 9 K | 2 ER

• Cal Fisher game-tying homer in the 7th

• Max Williams’ bases-loaded, two-run single in the 8th to seal the Tallahassee Regional

It perfectly captured the toughness of Jarrett’s club.🧬 The Bigger Picture: FSU’s Pro Pipeline Is Thriving

Entering 2026, 27 former Florida State players are under Minor League contracts — with 21 seeing MiLB action in 2025.

🌱 Highlights Across the System

• CJ Van Eyk (Blue Jays) — Triple-A Buffalo

  • 126 IP | 109 K

• James Tibbs III (Dodgers) — Double-A Tulsa

  • 20 HR | .802 OPS

• Wyatt Crowell (Dodgers) — Double-A

  • 114 K | 3.13 ERA

• Marco Dinges (Brewers) — High-A

  • .295 AVG | .898 OPS

• Conner Whittaker (Guardians) — High-A

  • 2.66 ERA | 1.09 WHIP

Plus a fresh wave of 2025 draftees (Jamie Arnold, Cam Leiter, Gage Harrelson, and others) just beginning their pro journeys.

🔍 Big Picture

2025 wasn’t just memorable — it was foundational.

Florida State is:

• Producing elite moments

• Developing stars into draft picks

• Sustaining one of the deepest pro pipelines in college baseball

As the Seminoles open 2026 back at Howser, they’re doing it with momentum, credibility, and proof that Link Jarrett’s program isn’t just winning games — it’s building careers.

👉 Full 2025 highlights, MiLB performance breakdowns, and what it all means heading into Opening Day at the source

🏈🚪 FSU DT KJ Sampson Enters Transfer Portal 🚪🏈

Florida State is losing another interior depth piece as defensive tackle KJ Sampson plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.

📌 The Basics

• Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle

• 6’3”, 318 pounds

• Two years of eligibility remaining

📊 On-Field Production

• Appeared in 10 games in 2025

• 11 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1 QB hurry

• 16 total appearances over two seasons at FSU

👉 More on Sampson’s departure and what it means for FSU’s defensive line outlook at the source

🏈🧭 Portal Targets to Watch as January 2 Approaches 🧭🏈

With the transfer portal days from opening, Florida State’s early board is coming into sharper focus especially at positions where immediate help is non-negotiable.

🔥 Quarterback Names to Know

• Deuce Knight (Auburn) — Former five-star freshman with massive upside; flashed dual-threat ability in limited action and has regional recruiting ties that matter for FSU.

• Still in play: Colton Joseph (Old Dominion) and Anthony Colandrea (UNLV), but Knight is a newer name gaining traction.

🏃 Running Back

• Peyton Lewis (Tennessee) — Explosive speed back with pass-catching value; around 700 yards and 10 TDs over two seasons.

• CJ Baxter (Texas) remains a primary name, but Lewis is clearly on the board.

🎯 Wide Receiver

• Corey Scott (West Florida) — Productive D2 standout (1,000+ yards in 2025); Jacksonville native with multiple P4 suitors. If FSU pushes, this could get interesting quickly.

🧱 Offensive Line

• Shadre Hurst (Tulane) — One of the top OL targets available; competition will be fierce, but FSU is expected to pursue a visit.

• Eryx Dougherty (Boston College) — Also on the radar as FSU rebuilds the trenches.

• Jaheim Buchanon (FIU) — Experienced, all-conference tackle with interior flexibility; interest exists, intensity TBD.

🛡️ Defensive Line

• John Walker (UCF) — High-priority target with deep FSU ties; visit set for Jan. 2 and viewed as a potential quick-close if the fit is right.

🧠 Linebacker

• Mekhi Mason (Louisiana Tech) — Trending up fast for FSU; elite tackler with strong coverage ability and a key Tony White connection.

• Other names remain in play, but Mason is the hottest LB lead right now.

🔒 Defensive Back

• Nehemiah Chandler (South Alabama) — Local product with rising buzz; a visit shortly after the portal opens would not be surprising.

• Jaquez White (Troy) remains a top-end CB priority overall.

🔍 Big Picture
This early board mirrors FSU’s reality: QB, OL, DL, LB, and DB are all must-address positions. Visits — not offers — will decide how real these names are once the window opens.

👉 Full target list, visit timelines, and portal intel at the source

🏈🧠 FSU LB Commit Gregory Batson Still Solid — But Others Pushing 🧠🏈

Florida State’s early linebacker commit is listening, but the Seminoles remain firmly in the driver’s seat.

📌 The Situation

• Gregory Batson, a 2027 linebacker from Lee County (Ga.), committed to FSU in early November

• Georgia Tech and Mississippi State continue to recruit him aggressively

• Only January visit currently scheduled: FSU junior day

🧠 Why FSU Still Leads

• Batson says relationships are the biggest factor — and FSU has the edge

• Built strong bonds with John Papuchis and Ernie Sims, and those connections have held even amid staff changes

• Has visited Tallahassee roughly six times, calling it “the most comfortable place so far”

🧩 Scheme Fit Matters

• Batson is drawn to Tony White’s defense and its linebacker versatility

• Sees himself as a true multi-tool defender: pass rush, coverage, and box play

• Believes FSU’s system best showcases his skill set

🔍 What Could Change Things

• Batson is honest: other schools would need to out-recruit FSU relationally

• More contact, more trust, more genuine connection

• With over 11 months until signing day, the door isn’t closed — but FSU sets the standard

👉 Full recruiting context, quotes, and where Batson’s recruitment stands at the source

And that’s a wrap!

A new year always brings clarity and for Florida State, it’s clear where the pressure lives. Some answers arrived before January even hit. Others are about to be decided fast.

We’ll be right here tracking every visit, commitment, and ripple as the portal opens and the reset accelerates.

Happy New Year — and as always,
Go Noles. 🍢🔥

— The Chief