Todd and his teammates came across a small group of boaters in distress. One man, Michael Hoffmann, was unconscious in the water, kept afloat only by his life jacket. Another man was trying to pull him back to the boat but couldn't. Two women were waving frantically for help.

Before his boat had stopped moving, Todd leaped into the river. The reason it mattered: Hoffmann was a bigger man, and nobody else on scene could get him back into the boat. Having a 6-foot-6, 314-pound offensive lineman on hand changed that equation immediately. A Citrus County Sheriff's corporal said afterward: "If it was anybody else, it would have been very difficult to get him back in the boat. And they said Jayden just did it with ease. Him being able to do that was a huge part of saving that guy."

Once Hoffmann was back on the boat, his face was purple and he wasn't breathing. FSU's other players helped flag down Citrus County Sheriff's Deputy Robbie Crosnoe, who was patrolling nearby and had an AED on his boat. A former firefighter EMT named Seth Greco also arrived. Crosnoe used the defibrillator multiple times. "Once he shocked him a couple of times, I saw his leg move," Todd said. "That was like a big sign for me."

Greco administered CPR while Crosnoe raced back to dock. Hoffmann was transported to Tampa General Hospital Crystal River, where he regained consciousness after approximately ten minutes of CPR. From the time Todd hit the water to getting Hoffmann to safety: under 20 minutes.

Todd hadn't even told anyone on the FSU staff when the Citrus County Sheriff's office called the football program to make sure they knew what had happened. "It was just something that happened and it's not something to boast about," he said. "It was just something that needed to happen, and I was able to just be there at the right place and right time."

The corporal's assessment was less modest: "Jayden is an awesome kid. He's truly a hero. I told him, 'You saved a life today.'"

The following day, Todd and his teammates went back out on the water and finished the fishing trip they'd planned. "We wore them out, too," he said. "I think it was the good karma."

FSU was a top-15 program in 14 of the 18 completed years from 2005 to 2023, cracking the top 10 five times and finishing as high as 5th in 2011-12. Last year it finished 28th, which snapped that standard. This year it fell to 41st.

In the ACC, FSU finished 9th out of the conference's programs. It had been a top-four ACC department in 16 of the previous 19 years and won the all-sports title outright twice.

The comparison to its peer group is what stings most. The schools that regularly finished in the top 15 alongside FSU in 2017, 2018, and 2019: Texas, Stanford, UCLA, North Carolina, Florida, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Penn State, and Florida State. Where are those schools now? Texas is 1st. Stanford 2nd. UCLA 3rd. UNC 4th. Florida 6th. Every single one of those programs is in the top 21. FSU is 41st.

The charitable reading is that Michael Alford has had to make hard choices because football revenue shapes the entire future of an athletic department. In a world where football finances everything, FSU prioritized football.

The harder reading is that the model isn't working. Football is struggling. And when football struggles at FSU, the resources that flow to everything else get squeezed. Coaches leave. Recruiting pipelines weaken. Facilities fall behind. The expectation of national relevance fades.

The women's soccer national championship, Shenese Walker's national titles, baseball's consistent 40-win seasons, these programs are still producing. But they're not producing at a level that offsets the broader decline. And the infrastructure around them is getting harder to maintain.

The bill includes a one-time transfer rule, a ban on cutting Olympic and women's sports, a prohibition on poaching coaches mid-season, and more equal distribution of television revenue across Power 4 conferences. Each of those has real implications for how programs recruit and operate.

The part that directly affects FSU the most: a restriction on Power 4 conferences from further mergers or acquisitions. In practical terms, if this passes, FSU stays in the ACC. The Big Ten and SEC expansion plays that might have created an escape route for the program would be blocked.

The counterintuitive argument, made well by On3's Corey Clark: if TV revenue is shared more evenly and conference expansion is blocked, the path to the playoff becomes more accessible through the ACC than through the SEC or Big Ten. With a 16-team playoff, two or three ACC teams get in. FSU's historic ability to win in the ACC becomes a feature, not a consolation prize.

The more compelling data point: last season, despite going 5-7, Florida State averaged 4.07 million viewers per game, ranking 14th nationally. One spot ahead of Notre Dame. Five spots ahead of Miami. It was the most-watched program in the ACC by a wide margin. That viewership figure is the ultimate trump card in any conversation about conference realignment or revenue distribution. FSU's brand is significantly more valuable than its recent record suggests.

The honest caveat: the bill hasn't passed. It faces significant legal challenges. And Greg Sankey is not exactly a fan. But the fact that there is serious political will to regulate the sport in a way that might level the playing field is genuinely new.

Darryll was the quieter of the Desir twins as a freshman while Mandrell became a star. But his numbers were more encouraging than casual observers noticed: across 142 pass-rush snaps, his 12.4 percent pass-rush win rate was second on the team, and he generated 20 pressures despite recording zero sacks.

Both Desir twins entered the transfer portal after their freshman year and had to be negotiated back. FSU paid a premium to keep them. At 6-foot-5, 264 pounds, Darryll is built to be an every-down player in a three-down front. That has to translate in 2026.

With Mandrell's run defense still a legitimate question and Darrell Jackson out of eligibility, FSU needs Darryll to provide complementary pass-rush impact while holding up against the run more reliably than his brother did last year.

Kromah posted 408 yards at 5.7 per carry as a freshman with a 40.3 percent missed tackle rate that doubled the national average. The talent is not in question. The consistency and usage are.

The offensive line is being rebuilt again, this time with four new transfers after last year's entire starting group graduated. In college football, a genuinely exceptional back can make an offensive line look better than it is. That's what Norvell needs Kromah to be this fall, especially early in the season when the line is still finding its footing.

He'll split time with Texas transfer Quintrevion Wisner, but should see the majority of carries. His high school background as a slot receiver also creates opportunities in two-back personnel packages.

Everything starts and ends here. Daniels brings 23 career starts and nearly 4,800 passing yards from Auburn and Stanford. He's not a project. He's a veteran being asked to deliver consistency he hasn't quite managed across a full season anywhere.

His floor is the Kentucky game at Auburn: 108 yards on 12-of-28 passing. His ceiling is the Vanderbilt game: 353 yards, two passing touchdowns, 89 rushing yards, two more scores. FSU needs the latter version showing up weekly.

Norvell is reclaiming play-calling duties after Malzahn's one-year run. The bet is that Norvell can get surplus value from a bargain-bin quarterback acquisition. If it works, FSU wins eight games. If it doesn't, no other piece of this roster matters enough.

Bass was rated the No. 3 combo guard in the country coming out of Windermere Prep in Orlando. At 6-foot-5, he showed off all-around scoring and perimeter shooting in the practice session, and there's a feeling inside the program that he'll be a genuine contributor right away.

His high school coach Brian Hoff coached him to school records in career points (2,573), three-pointers made (353), and rebounds (680) at Windermere Prep. Hoff's assessment: "He'll be able to help them scoring and shooting the ball. Hopefully, immediately. He's one of the best shooters I've ever coached. He's one of the best scorers I've ever coached."

The Loucks connection here is direct: Hoff played for Florida State from 2005 to 2009 and was teammates with Loucks and current assistant coach Derwin Kitchen. When Hoff talks to FSU about Bass, he's talking to people he knows well. "Shooting translates, typically," Hoff said. "I think he'll do well."

Loucks credited Bass's background as the son of Brandon Bass Sr., who played more than a decade in the NBA, for giving the younger Bass a professional mindset heading into college: "He knows how to work." That shortened learning curve matters on a team that needs contributors immediately.

Context: several of FSU's other newcomers are currently sidelined by injuries or eligibility issues. Bass being healthy and impressive early gives Loucks something to build around in the early going.

Clements finished the 2026 season hitting .392 with 24 home runs, 71 RBI, a .844 slugging percentage, and 54 walks (second-most in program history) on his way to All-America honors for the national champions. "To be honest, I was kind of expecting it," he said. "My goal was to hit 20. Actually, my goal was to break the record." He did both.

Before JUCO, Clements signed with Southern Miss out of Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss., but didn't crack the lineup as a true freshman and chose the JUCO route to get consistent reps. It paid off. "We call it the JUCO grind," he said. "That was a huge part of it. Just putting the D-I thing aside and just going to play every day."

He's 6-foot-4, 220 pounds and takes pride in his defense behind the plate, which is a notable claim given how FSU has struggled at the catching position in recent seasons.

The connection was pre-existing: FSU assistant coach Brad Vanderglas had recruited Clements out of high school. When Clements opened his recruitment after the JUCO season, Vanderglas called immediately. "I knew it was the spot I wanted to be," Clements said.

On what he's heard about Dick Howser Stadium: "I've heard it's electric. I'm ready to be a part of it." On his goals: "My goal is to go to Florida State and win a national championship. Hopefully get drafted in the first or second round and become a big-leaguer."

The Rivals piece on Savage offers more nuance than yesterday's 247 report. On FSU specifically: "The coaching staff contacts me consistently. It's not a time they're not contacting me. Just building a relationship with them, seeing what they did last year. They had a good season. It's a good relationship and I want to get to know them more." That's a warmer but still measured quote. FSU is in the conversation, not leading it.

The two programs with the most developed relationships appear to be Auburn (since sixth grade, Ira Bowman relationship) and Purdue (the Braden Smith development pitch). Georgia and Georgia Tech have the hometown advantage. UCLA is the newest entry. FSU is competing on the coaching-credibility angle. July 5th at 5 p.m. on CBS Sports HQ.

FSU 2027 running back commit Jayden Miles had a strong showing at The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Oregon this week. 247Sports national analyst TJ Randall noted that Miles and LSU commit Trey Martin were both standouts among the running backs, with Miles described as a reliable safety valve out of the backfield who found the end zone during 7-on-7 play.

Miles is a committed Seminole in the 2027 class. Seeing him hold his own against the best talent in the country at a high-profile showcase is exactly what you want from a commit heading into his senior year.