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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy First Saturday of 2026, Seminole!

Here’s what’s shaping Florida State’s trajectory right now — from hard-nosed basketball effort to a rapidly stabilizing football roster as the portal opens.

🏀 The Hardest Work in the ACC 🏀
Alex Steen is quietly doing the league’s most demanding job — leading the ACC in offensive rebounding — as FSU gears up for a marquee matchup with Duke at the Tuck.

🏈 Offensive Staff Reset Takes Shape 🏈
Mike Norvell reshapes the offense with Kam Martin’s arrival at RB coach and Tim Harris Jr.’s elevation to co-offensive coordinator, doubling down on production and continuity.

🏈 Quarterback Room Reinforced from Within 🏈
Austin Tucker steps into the QB coach role with a leadership-first philosophy as FSU prepares for a pivotal reset at the sport’s most important position.

🔒 Portal Reversals Stabilize the Secondary 🔒
Ashlynd Barker’s return — with another safety potentially following — locks down the back end and shifts portal needs from replacement to depth.

🧭 What a “Successful” Portal Window Really Looks Like 🧭
With roughly 20 spots to fill, we define the bar: QB1, one offensive playmaker, a rebuilt offensive line, faster defenders, and functional special teams.

🧠 QB Domino Watch Is Officially On 🧠
Colton Joseph lines up key visits as the quarterback market heats up — and where he lands could shape FSU’s next move fast.

🧳 Portal Visits Begin in Tallahassee 🧳
The first wave of transfer visitors is set, revealing clear priorities in the trenches, the secondary, and skill positions as January heats up.

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🏀🔁 Alex Steen Is Doing the Hardest Work in the ACC 🔁🏀

As Florida State prepares to host No. 5/6 Duke, one Seminole is quietly leading the league in the toughest stat to dominate: offensive rebounding.

🔥 The Relentless Edge

• Alex Steen leads the ACC in offensive rebounds at 3.4 per game, one of just two players in the league with 48+ offensive boards

• He’s pulled more offensive than defensive rebounds in six of 13 games

• Ranks top 20 in the ACC overall in rebounding (6.4 RPG), leading FSU

📊 Why This Is Rare

• Offensive rebounding has only been tracked by the ACC since 1991–92

• Steen’s name now sits in a category historically occupied by players like Tyler Hansbrough, Sean May, Armando Bacot, Zion Williamson, and Carlos Boozer

• It’s effort-based, thankless, and often game-swinging — not a highlight stat, but a winning one

🧠 Built, Not Found

• Averaged 23 points and 13 rebounds as a prep senior in Florida

• Totaled 708 rebounds in three seasons at Florida Southern

• Named Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year (2024, 2025)

• Enters Saturday with 792 career rebounds, just eight shy of 800

🎯 Glue-Guy Impact

• Has won the opening tip in 8 of 13 games this season

• Earned his first FSU double-double vs. Cal State Bakersfield (13 pts, 10 reb)

• Recorded 4+ offensive rebounds in eight games, including vs. Florida, Texas A&M, and Georgia

🗣️ Why Coaches Love Him
First-year head coach Luke Loucks calls Steen “one of the most consistent players I’ve ever coached” — a nonstop worker whose energy is contagious.

🔍 Why It Matters
Against elite teams like Duke, extra possessions are oxygen. Steen manufactures chances, swings momentum, and embodies the effort identity Loucks is trying to build.

👉 Full matchup context, Steen’s season breakdown, and Saturday’s game details at the source

🏈🔥 FSU Rebuilds Offensive Staff with RB Hire, Co-OC Promotion 🔥🏈

Florida State made two key offensive moves Friday as Mike Norvell continues reshaping the staff ahead of a critical offseason.

🔥 The Hire: Kam Martin (RB Coach)

• Kam Martin joins FSU as running backs coach after producing a 1,000-yard rusher every year as a position coach

• Has coached four 1,000-yard rushers and 31 individual 100-yard games across Tulsa, UCF, and Incarnate Word

• Known as a strong recruiter, evaluator, and developer — with deep ties to Gus Malzahn’s offensive system

📈 Track Record That Pops

• Tulsa (2025): Developed Dominic Richardson into a 1,065-yard rusher

• UCF (2023–24): Coached RJ Harvey to back-to-back 1,400+ yard seasons, All-Big 12 honors, and NFL Draft selection

• Incarnate Word: Oversaw a nation-leading rushing attack and FCS semifinal run

🧠 The Promotion: Tim Harris Jr. to Co-OC

• Harris elevated from pass game coordinator / WR coach to co-offensive coordinator

• Helped lead an FSU offense that ranked top-15 nationally in total offense, rushing, and third-down efficiency in 2025

🎯 Why This Matters

• FSU doubles down on offensive continuity while upgrading player development

• Martin strengthens a run game that must be more reliable in 2026

• Harris’ expanded role rewards production — and keeps momentum around a rising offense

👉 Full staff breakdown, quotes, and what it means for FSU’s 2026 offensive direction at the source

🏈🧠 Austin Tucker Embraces QB Coach Role, Emphasizes Leadership 🧠🏈

Florida State is keeping continuity at quarterback with the promotion of Austin Tucker to quarterbacks coach for the 2026 season.

🔥 The Promotion

• Austin Tucker elevated to QB coach after seven seasons on staff

• Has worked closely with QBs, RBs, and WRs during his time at FSU

• Longstanding ties to Mike Norvell and Gus Malzahn, dating back to Memphis and Auburn

🧭 Why Tucker Fits the Role

• Deep understanding of Norvell’s program from day one

• Experience developing quarterbacks from multiple angles within the offense

• Trusted internal voice during a critical reset at the position

🧠 Quarterback Philosophy: It Starts With Leadership

• Tucker views leadership as the defining QB trait, above raw talent

• Focused on developing quarterbacks as decision-makers and culture drivers

• Emphasizes understanding how each QB sees the game to speed up development

🔄 Developmental Approach

• Year one: adjust to college life, system, and expectations

• Growth comes once QBs fully grasp offensive structure and game speed

• Goal: align QB thinking with coaching vision to create consistency and confidence

🎯 Big Picture

FSU is reinforcing a leadership-first mindset at the most important position on the field. Tucker’s promotion signals trust, continuity, and a renewed focus on building a QB room capable of steering the program forward.

👉 Watch the full interview and hear Tucker explain his approach in detail at the source

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🏈🔒 Ashlynd Barker Reverses Portal Decision, Set to Return to FSU 🔒🏈

Florida State is retaining another critical piece of its defensive core.

🔥 The News

• Starting safety Ashlynd Barker is expected to return to FSU after initially entering the Transfer Portal

• Decision confirmed by multiple sources to Noles247

• Barker was ranked No. 33 overall and No. 3 safety in the portal by 247Sports

📊 2025 Production

• 48 tackles

• 5.0 tackles for loss

• 3.5 sacks

• 2 pass breakups

A lingering shoulder injury limited Barker late in the season, contributing to a dip in PFF grades down the stretch.

🧠 Why This Matters

• Barker was a JUCO evaluation win for FSU, contributing early in 2023

• Finished 2024 strong and broke out as a starter in 2025

• Brings experience, size (6’3”, 216 lbs), and physicality back to the secondary

🔄 Looking Ahead to 2026

• Will enter his redshirt senior season as an expected defensive leader

• Fits naturally into Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme in Year Two

• Stabilizes a safety room that could have faced major turnover

🎯 Big Picture

Barker’s return keeps an NFL-caliber safety in Tallahassee, preserves continuity on the back end, and reduces pressure on the portal at a premium position. For a defense still recalibrating, this is a quiet but significant win.

👉 Full context on Barker’s decision and what it means for FSU’s secondary at the source

🏈🔒 Another Safety Trending Back to FSU as Portal Reversals Continue 🔒🏈

Florida State’s defensive backfield may be locking itself in faster than expected.

🔥 What We’re Hearing

• A program source expects Florida State Seminoles safety Little to reverse course on his NFL Draft declaration and return to FSU

• FSU Sports Information has not officially confirmed it yet

• Little has deleted his NFL Draft announcement from Instagram

• Status remains unofficial, but momentum is clearly trending toward a return

🧠 Why This Matters

• If confirmed, Little joining Ashlynd Barker’s return essentially secures the safety position for 2026

• Allows FSU to deploy:

  • Barker + Little as the core safety duo

  • Shamar Arnoux as a flexible third option

  • Rawls and Q at corner, with portal additions focused purely on depth

🔍 What’s Driving the Reversals?

Multiple factors appear to be converging:

• A newly installed front office structure evaluating true retention value

• Clear internal decisions on who is worth keeping vs. replacing via the portal

• Players reassessing market reality vs. guaranteed role, fit, and NIL clarity at FSU

• Increased emphasis on experienced, proven contributors over portal gambles

🎯 Big Picture

FSU isn’t just adding talent — it’s stopping roster bleed. Retaining experienced defensive starters while selectively supplementing depth is exactly how a modern portal cycle is supposed to work.

👉 We’ll update as soon as Little’s decision is officially confirmed at the source

🏈🧭 What a “Successful” Transfer Portal Window Looks Like for FSU 🧭🏈

With the portal officially open and roughly 20 roster spots to fill, Florida State’s next two weeks will define the trajectory of the 2026 season.

🔥 The Bar Starts at Quarterback

• FSU is expected to land at least one starting-caliber QB plus a potential JUCO for depth

• Budget expectations for QB1 reportedly sit around $2–2.5M, with flexibility depending on the market

• Two names with confirmed mutual interest:

  • Anthony Colandrea (UNLV)

  • Colton Joseph (Old Dominion)

🧠 Reality Check

• Both project more as high-floor “point guards” than ceiling-raisers

• Either could stabilize the position, but neither clearly elevates FSU beyond last season’s ceiling

• Rising market prices (Wisconsin, Georgia Tech involvement) will test FSU’s leverage and discipline

🎯 Offense Needs One More Difference-Maker

• FSU wants one proven playmaker — RB, WR, or TE

• Hollywood Smothers is an expected visitor and fits the profile:

  • 160 carries, 939 yards, 6 TDs

  • Reliable production, not projection-based upside

This is about identity and dependability, not just talent.

🧱 Offensive Line: Repeat the Trick

• Last year’s portal OL class was quietly a win:

  • Luke Petitbon and Micah Pettus were clear plus-starters

  • No true misses among the group

• 2026 reality:

  • Sandman Thompson and Andre’ Otto are the only firm building blocks

  • Another near-total reset required

🧠 Why This Matters

• Herb Hand earned trust with last year’s evals

• Now he has to replicate that hit rate — a much harder task the second time around

🛡️ Defense Must Get Faster — Everywhere

• Last cycle’s defensive portal bets largely failed:

  • James Williams

  • Jayson Jenkins

  • Deamontae Diggs

  • Elijah Herring

• This time around, priorities are clear:

  • Speed at linebacker

  • Proven pass rushers up front

  • Multiple defensive backs with experience

🎯 The Ask

• Less projection

• More proven P4 / P2 contributors

• Fewer “hope it works” swings

🦶 Special Teams: Just Be Functional

• Punt return remains an unresolved issue deep into the Norvell tenure

• The goal isn’t explosiveness — it’s competence

• FSU likely needs:

  • At least one proven punt returner

  • Possibly two, just to stabilize the position

👉 Full portal needs analysis, market context, and ongoing updates at the source

🏈🧭 QB Domino Watch: Colton Joseph Lines Up Key Visits 🧭🏈

Florida State’s quarterback search remains fluid — and one of its primary targets is officially on the move.

🔥 The Latest

• Former Colton Joseph has three schools in mind for official visits

• First stop: Wisconsin Badgers (visit underway)

• Also planning trips to Florida State Seminoles and TCU Horned Frogs

• Decision timeline remains open — Joseph said he could shut things down after Wisconsin or continue visiting

📊 Why Joseph Is in Demand

• 2025 breakout season at Old Dominion Monarchs

• 2,624 passing yards, 21 TDs

• 1,007 rushing yards, 13 rushing TDs

• Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year

• True dual-threat with legit pocket ability

🧠 Evaluation Snapshot

• Clean mechanics, live arm, plus athleticism

• Dangerous runner from anywhere on the field

• Not just a scrambler — flashes NFL-level throws every game

• Late bloomer who went from lightly recruited to portal centerpiece

🎯 Why This Matters for FSU

• Joseph remains one of the two primary QB targets on the board

• Wisconsin’s involvement continues to drive the market upward

• If Joseph leaves Madison without committing, FSU’s window likely opens fast

This is a true first-domino recruitment. Where Joseph lands could shape the entire quarterback market — and FSU’s next move — in the days ahead.

👉 Full visit timeline, scouting context, and what this means for FSU’s QB board at the source

🏈🧳 Portal Visits Begin: FSU’s January Board Comes Into Focus 🧳🏈

With the transfer portal officially open, Florida State’s offseason plan is shifting from intel to action — and the first wave of visitors is already set.

🔥 Confirmed Visitors (Jan. 3)

• Hollywood Smothers — RB, NC State Wolfpack

• Xavier Townsend — WR, Iowa State Cyclones

• Bryant Williams — OT, Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns

• John Walker — DT, UCF Knights

• Nehemiah Chandler — CB, South Alabama Jaguars

• Jaquez White — CB, Troy Trojans

🧠 Expected Visitors (Dates TBD)

• Ben Murawski — OT, UConn Huskies

• Cody Sigler — DT, Arkansas State Red Wolves

• Chris Jones — LB, Southern Miss Golden Eagles

🔍 Big Picture

• FSU expects to add nearly 20 transfers this cycle

• Early visitors align cleanly with priority needs: RB, OL, DL, LB, and DB

• The concentration of defensive backs and trench players underscores how urgent the defensive reset is

This is just the opening wave — but it’s a strong signal of how aggressively Florida State plans to attack the portal from Day 1.

👉 Full visitor tracker, updates as dates lock in, and how this board could evolve at the source

And that’s a wrap!