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- 🏹 January 11th - The Chief Brief 🏹
🏹 January 11th - The Chief Brief 🏹
Success, setbacks, and the uncomfortable truths in between
The Chief
January 11, 2026
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🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹
Happy NFL Playoff Sunday, Seminole!
A weekend that captures both ends of the FSU spectrum — championship dividends on one side, hard truths and roster churn on the other.
⚽ Yuna McCormack Turns Pro After Title Run ⚽
Another national champion cashes in, extending FSU soccer’s growing pro pipeline.
🏊♂️ FSU Swimming Shows Flashes Against Elite Field in Athens 🏊♀️
Encouraging performances emerge despite losses against top-ranked competition.
🏀 FSU Men’s Hoops Suffers Historic Home Loss vs. NC State 🏀
A record-setting defeat raises serious questions about identity and direction.
🎾 FSU Men’s Tennis Opens Season with Home Doubleheader 🎾
A familiar start as a veteran-led squad begins another postseason-minded campaign.
🏀 FSU Women’s Hoops Heads to Miami for ACC Test 🏀
A rivalry road trip offers a chance to spark momentum in conference play.
🏈 Jayvan Boggs Expected to Return to FSU After Portal Detour 🏈
A young playmaker opts back in, quietly stabilizing the receiver room.
🏈 FSU Lands Stephen F. Austin OT Chimdia Nwaiwu 🏈
The offensive line rebuild continues with another experienced body added up front.
🏈 FSU Adds JUCO LB Chris Thomas to Defensive Front 🏈
A pressure-first linebacker joins the mix as depth-building rolls on.
🏈 FSU Lands Illinois State DB Transfer CJ Richard 🏈
The secondary reloads with a productive, high-upside safety.
🏈 FSU K Jake Weinberg Plans to Enter Transfer Portal 🏈
Special teams turnover continues as the kicker position remains unsettled.
🏈 DT Kevin Wynn Expected to Enter Transfer Portal 🏈
A former blue-chip signee’s likely exit underscores the volatility of roster math.
🔥🧠 National Column Pulls Back the Curtain on FSU’s Structural Crisis 🧠🔥
A sobering, big-picture look at how decades of decisions shaped today’s reality.
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⚽ Yuna McCormack Turns Pro After Title Run ⚽
Florida State junior midfielder Yuna McCormack has signed with Denver Summit FC of the National Women's Soccer League, the club announced Saturday.
🔥 What to Know
McCormack helped power FSU to its fifth NCAA championship and earned Academic All-District honors.
She becomes the fifth Seminole to sign professionally this offseason, joining a strong NWSL pipeline from Tallahassee.
Head coach Brian Pensky praised her growth and impact, calling her a “major contributor” to the title run.
👉 Why It Matters: Another champion Nole takes the next step — proof that FSU’s title teams aren’t just winning trophies, they’re launching pro careers.
🏊♂️ FSU Swimming Shows Flashes Against Elite Field in Athens 🏊♀️
Florida State swimming and diving dropped a tough road meet Saturday against Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving and Arkansas Razorbacks swimming and diving, but not without encouraging signs against top-tier competition.
🔥 Standout Performances
Michel Arkhangelsky won the 50 free (19.64) and 100 free (42.92) to pace the Seminoles.
Alice Velden added an individual win in the 100 backstroke and helped anchor the women’s 200 medley relay victory.
FSU posted seven total event wins, including strong showings from the breaststroke group and diving board.
🧠 What’s Next
Head coach Neal Studd called the meet a mix of highs and lows as the team shifts focus forward.
The Seminoles head to Ocala for a neutral-site showdown vs. Florida on Jan. 30.
🏀 FSU Men’s Hoops Suffers Historic Home Loss vs. NC State 🏀
Florida State turned in its worst performance of the ACC season — and one of the ugliest home games in program history — falling 113–69 to NC State Wolfpack men's basketball at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
🔥 What Went Wrong
FSU trailed by 25 at halftime and by as many as 45 in a non-competitive showing.
The 113 points allowed were the most ever surrendered by FSU at home and tied for third-most overall.
NC State set an ACC record with 19 made three-pointers, shooting 54% from deep.
📉 The Fallout
Seminoles drop to 7–9 overall, 0–3 in ACC play.
NC State snapped FSU’s six-game home winning streak in the series in emphatic fashion.
👉 Why It Matters: Losses happen — but this one raises real alarms. Effort, execution, and identity were all missing, and answers will be required quickly with conference play accelerating.
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🎾 FSU Men’s Tennis Opens Season with Home Doubleheader 🎾
Florida State men’s tennis kicks off its 78th season Sunday with a home doubleheader against Troy Trojans men's tennis and Mercer Bears men's tennis at the Scott Speicher Memorial Tennis Center.
🔥 What to Know
Sunday | 11 a.m. vs. Troy, 4 p.m. vs. Mercer — free admission.
FSU enters off a 19-win season, a No. 23 final ITA ranking, and a sixth straight NCAA Round of 32 appearance.
Head coach Dwayne Hultquist begins his 26th season at the helm.
🏀 FSU Women’s Hoops Heads to Miami for ACC Test 🏀
Florida State women’s basketball travels south Sunday to face Miami Hurricanes women's basketball at the Watsco Center.
🔥 What to Know
Sunday | 2 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
FSU leads the all-time series 53–19 and has won four straight vs. Miami.
Solè Williams paces the Seminoles at 16.1 PPG, coming off a career-high 28 vs. Virginia.
🏈 Jayvan Boggs Expected to Return to FSU After Portal Detour 🏈
Florida State wide receiver Jayvan Boggs is expected to withdraw from the transfer portal and return to Tallahassee after briefly exploring other options.
🔥 What to Know
Boggs entered the portal in late December and visited Ole Miss Rebels football and Missouri Tigers football before deciding to come back.
As a true freshman, he totaled 103 yards and a touchdown despite an injury-interrupted season.
The former four-star recruit worked into the starting lineup and has three years of eligibility remaining.
👉 Why It Matters: Keeping Boggs in the fold is a quiet win — a young, talented receiver who now looks like a real piece of FSU’s 2026 offensive core and probably the best unit on the team.
🏈 FSU Lands Stephen F. Austin OT Chimdia Nwaiwu 🏈
Florida State picked up another offensive line commitment, landing Chimdia Nwaiwu fresh off his official visit to Tallahassee.
🔥 What He Brings
6’5”, 305 lbs with an 88-inch wingspan and experience at both tackle spots.
Logged 803 snaps at right tackle in 2025 with an 81.4 PFF pass-block grade.
Chose FSU citing belief in the staff and long-term vision.
🧱 Bigger Picture
Nwaiwu becomes the fifth OL transfer in this class, joining Nate Pabst, Xavier Chaplin, Bradyn Joiner, and Paul Bowling.
👉 Why It Matters: The numbers are adding up — FSU is stacking experienced bodies up front, signaling a clear commitment to fixing the trenches with depth and versatility.
🏈 FSU Adds JUCO LB Chris Thomas to Defensive Front 🏈
Florida State picked up a junior college commitment Saturday, landing Chris Thomas from Northwest Mississippi Community College.
🔥 What to Know
Thomas committed after a one-week recruitment, following a campus visit to Tallahassee.
The JUCO linebacker projects as a blitz-heavy defender, a role he says mirrors what he did best in junior college.
He totaled 39 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, two sacks, and a forced fumble this past season.
🧠 Context
Thomas is three weeks removed from ACL surgery after an injury last fall and is expected to have 2–3 years of eligibility remaining.
He plans to enroll at FSU in the coming days.
👉 Why It Matters: This is a bet on upside and role clarity — a pressure-first linebacker addition as FSU continues rounding out its defensive depth with targeted portal and JUCO moves.
🏈 FSU Lands Illinois State DB Transfer CJ Richard 🏈
Florida State added another piece to its retooled secondary, landing a commitment from CJ Richard after his visit to Tallahassee.
🔥 What He Brings
6’1”, 190 lbs with immediate safety experience and upside.
Logged 36 tackles and two interceptions during Illinois State’s 2025 playoff run.
Posted a strong 79.7 PFF grade as a redshirt freshman.
🧠 Bigger Picture
Richard joins Karson Hobbs and Nehemiah Chandler as portal DB additions.
Comes at a key moment as FSU replaces multiple departing starters in the secondary.
👉 Why It Matters: This is another smart depth-and-development add — a young defensive back with production, athletic traits, and room to grow as FSU rebuilds the back end.
🏈 FSU K Jake Weinberg Plans to Enter Transfer Portal 🏈
Florida State starting kicker Jake Weinberg intends to enter the transfer portal, with paperwork submitted Saturday night and expected to process within the next two business days.
🔥 What to Know
Weinberg went 12-of-19 on field goals in his first season as the starter and was perfect on 46 PATs.
Known for a strong leg, he also handled kickoff duties with near-perfect touchback results.
FSU recently hosted Gabe Panikowski as the staff evaluates options.
👉 Why It Matters: With Weinberg and Brunno Reus both departing, special teams remains in flux — making kicker one more position FSU will need to stabilize heading into 2026.
🏈 DT Kevin Wynn Expected to Enter Transfer Portal 🏈
Florida State true freshman defensive tackle Kevin Wynn is expected to enter the transfer portal, according to On3.
🔥 What to Know
Wynn was the top-ranked signee in FSU’s 2025 high school class and viewed as a long-term interior building block.
An injury limited him to four games and 40 snaps, preserving his redshirt.
The 6’2”, 334-pound DT will have four years of eligibility remaining.
🧠 Context
As a recruit, Wynn ranked No. 60 nationally and No. 9 DL per 247Sports.
👉 Why It Matters: This is a notable potential loss of future upside on the interior — another reminder of how quickly roster math can change in the portal era. It leaves FSU in a position of desperately needing to reload on the D line.
🔥🧠 National Column Pulls Back the Curtain on FSU’s Structural Crisis 🧠🔥
A widely circulated national column from SB Nation — recently reposted without comment by longtime FSU voice Jeff Cameron — offers one of the most comprehensive explanations yet of how Florida State football arrived at its current crossroads.
Rather than focusing on Mike Norvell alone, the piece argues FSU is stuck in a self-inflicted purgatory created by decades of institutional decisions — financial, political, and cultural — that now severely limit short-term options.
The Core Argument
Norvell’s return isn’t framed as belief — but as financial necessity, given buyout constraints and ACC revenue gaps.
FSU’s struggles are portrayed as structural, not cyclical — problems that no single coaching change can quickly fix.
How It Started: The ACC Decision
Joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in the early 1990s was initially a smart business and academic move, not competitive avoidance.
For over a decade, the ACC actually out-earned peer conferences per school, buoyed by FSU football and elite basketball brands.
But divergent institutional priorities inside the league — some schools resisting even minor football-related costs — planted early fault lines.
Where It Went Wrong
The ACC badly misread the future of college sports media, surrendering third-tier rights instead of building a conference network early.
Commissioner-era decisions tied the league to long-term ESPN deals that now trail the Big Ten and SEC by tens of millions annually.
FSU leadership repeatedly chose stability over aggression during realignment windows, culminating in signing the Grant of Rights.
Internal Complications
Governance issues unique to FSU — particularly the outsized influence of the Seminole Boosters — slowed modernization.
Leadership turnover, NCAA sanctions timing, and stalled facilities investment compounded the damage.
Even well-intentioned moves (ACC Network, Doak renovations) came late, expensive, and with limited upside.
The Bottom Line
The column’s conclusion is blunt:
Florida State’s challenges aren’t about one coach, one season, or one bad break — they are the cumulative result of decades of misalignment between ambition, economics, and governance.
Until that reality is confronted head-on, the piece argues, no coach — returning or new — can truly solve what’s broken.
👉 Why It Matters: For fans trying to understand why FSU’s margin for error feels so thin right now, this piece connects the dots between conference politics, money, leadership, and on-field reality in a way few national stories do.
And that’s a wrap!
This weekend reminded us why Florida State still commands national attention — sometimes for celebration, sometimes for uncomfortable reflection. Championships continue to produce pros. Olympic sports keep raising the standard. But football, the engine that drives everything else, sits at the intersection of history, money, and decisions that can’t be undone overnight.
Whether you agree with the national column or not, one thing is clear: the margin for error is thin, the stakes are high, and the next chapter won’t be written by slogans alone.
Until tomorrow — stay sharp, stay honest, and keep the conversation going.
— Chief
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