Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy humpday, Seminole!

Welcome to another stacked edition of The Chief Brief! As the Seminoles charge into a big week across multiple sports, we’re seeing elite performances, key matchups, and major recruiting moves that could shape the future of FSU Athletics. Let’s dive in!

🏊‍♀️ Making A Splash at Nationals – Eight FSU swimmers & divers hit the pool for the NCAA Championships. Can they bring home All-American honors?

🎾 Tennis Showdowns Ahead – FSU Women’s Tennis hosts Miami before heading to Texas for a key matchup against SMU.

🥎 Softball's Road Test – The No. 9 Noles face four ranked opponents in five days, including a showdown vs. Alabama.

🏆 ACC Honors Roll In – Jaysoni Beachum earns ACC Co-Player of the Week after a .688 batting stretch.

⛳ Golf Keeps Rolling – Freshman Sophia Fullbrook clutches the win as FSU tops Virginia at Old Barnwell. Next stop: Florida State Match Up this weekend!

⚾ Midweek Baseball Struggles – No. 5 FSU falls to Mercer, suffering its second straight midweek loss as it adjusts to life without injured starter Evan Chrest.

🏀 Hoops Recruiting Shake-Up – Both 2025 signees request releases following the coaching change, leaving FSU with zero commits.

🏈 Recruiting Heats Up – 5⭐ EDGE DJ Jacobs locks in an FSU visit, while 4⭐ EDGE Jake Kreul returns to campus for spring practice.

🔥 Buckle up, because spring is heating up in Tallahassee! Let’s get into the action. ⬇️

🏊‍♀️ FSU Swimming & Diving Set for NCAA Championships

The Seminoles are ready to make waves at the NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, with eight student-athletes competing from March 19-22 in Washington.

🔥 Key Competitors:
✅ Individual Events: Maddy Huggins, Edith Jernstedt (Swimming) | Samantha Vear, Kayleigh Clark (Diving)
✅ Relays: Jenny Halden, Gloria Muzito, Alice Velden, Maryn McDade

⏳ Schedule & Format:
🔹 Prelims: 1 PM ET – Top 16 advance to finals
🔹 Diving Prelims: 3:15 PM ET – Top 8 reach finals; 9-16 compete in consolation
🔹 Finals: 9 PM ET

👀 Can the Noles bring home All-American honors?

🔗 More on FSU Swimming & Diving’s NCAA journey here.

🎾 FSU Women’s Tennis Set for Matchups vs. Miami & SMU

Florida State is back on the courts with a pair of key matchups this week, hosting No. 50 Miami on Wednesday before heading to Texas to take on No. 62 SMU on Friday.

🔥 Match Details:
📍 vs. Miami – Wednesday, 4 PM ET (Scott Speicher Memorial Tennis Center)
📍 @ SMU – Friday, 6 PM ET (Dallas, TX)

💪 Players to Watch:
✅ Eva Shaw (Court 1) – Undefeated (4-0) in ACC play, riding a 6-match win streak
✅ Shaw & Maria Juliana Parra Romero (Doubles) – No. 84-ranked duo with a 10-match win streak

🏆 Last Season vs. Opponents:
🔹 Def. Miami (4-1) in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinals
🔹 Def. SMU (4-2) in the ITA Kickoff Championships

📢 FSU vs. Miami Match Perks:
🎟️ Free admission for all fans
👕 T-shirt giveaway for FSU students
🍕 Free pizza while supplies last

🔗 More on FSU Women’s Tennis’ matchups here.

🥎 No. 9 FSU Softball Faces Four Ranked Opponents in Five Days

Florida State (25-5, 3-0 ACC) hits the road for a tough stretch, facing No. 24 Alabama on Wednesday before a three-game ACC showdown at No. 18 Duke this weekend.

🔥 Upcoming Matchups:
📍 @ No. 24 Alabama – Wednesday, 7 PM ET (SEC Network)
📍 @ No. 18 Duke – Friday, 6 PM ET (ACC Network)
📍 @ No. 18 Duke – Saturday, 1 PM ET (ACCNX)
📍 @ No. 18 Duke – Sunday, 12 PM ET (ACCNX)

💪 What’s at Stake?
✅ FSU seeks first true road ranked win of the season
✅ Rematch of last two ACC Championship games vs. Duke
✅ Noles have won 6 of the last 8 matchups vs. Alabama

⚾ Players to Watch:
🔹 Kennedy Harp – Leads the nation with 9 triples, hitting .489
🔹 Isa Torres – ACC leader in hits (45), .433 BA, only 1 strikeout in 104 ABs
🔹 Jaysoni Beachum – Team-high 9 HRs, batting .402
🔹 Jazzy Francik – 1.81 ERA, 5 saves (tied for 3rd-most in FSU history)

📊 Noles' Dominance in 2025:
✅ Top-10 in the nation in batting average (.368), home runs, RBIs, & total runs
✅ Pitching staff leads the ACC with a 1.81 ERA (5th-best in NCAA)
✅ FSU is 20-1 when scoring first & 22-1 when leading after four innings

🔗 More on FSU Softball’s road trip here.

🏆 Jaysoni Beachum Named ACC Co-Player of the Week

Florida State sophomore Jaysoni Beachum has been on fire, earning ACC Co-Player of the Week honors after a dominant stretch at the plate.

🔥 Beachum’s Week at a Glance:
✅ .688 BA (11-for-16)
✅ 3 HRs, 5 RBIs
✅ 1.250 SLG% | .714 OBP
✅ 4-hit game vs. Portland State (ties career high)
✅ Reached base 8 of 10 plate appearances vs. PSU

💪 FSU's Award-Winning Duo:
🏆 Beachum joins Kennedy Harp (Feb. 11 winner) as the only Noles to claim ACC Player of the Week this season.
🏆 This is Beachum’s second career ACC POTW award (previous: April 23, 2024).

🔗 More on Beachum’s award-winning performance here.

⛳ Fullbrook Clinches Victory as No. 6 FSU Tops Virginia at Old Barnwell

Freshman Sophia Fullbrook delivered the clutch moment for No. 6 Florida State, securing a 3-2 win over Virginia with a dramatic 2&1 victory in the final match at the Old Barnwell Match Play Championship.

🔥 FSU’s Match-Winning Performances:
✅ Sophia Fullbrook – 2&1 win over Rebecca Skoler (match-clinching point)
✅ Lottie Woad – Dominant 7&6 win over Kennedy Swedick
✅ Alexandra Gazzoli – 2&1 win over Chloe Schiavone

🏆 FSU’s Final Record at Old Barnwell:
✅ Wins: Mississippi State & Virginia
✅ Standout Performers: Woad (2-0-1) & Gazzoli (2-0) finish undefeated

🔜 What’s Next?
🏌️‍♀️ Florida State Match Up at Seminole Legacy Golf Club (March 21-23)
📍 Tallahassee, FL
🎟️ Free admission & parking for fans

🗣️ Coach Amy Bond:
💬 “To win a national championship, we have to excel in match play. This was a great experience to prepare us for that moment.”

🔗 More on FSU’s big win & upcoming home tournament here.

⚾ No. 5 FSU Baseball Drops Second Straight Midweek Game, Falls to Mercer 9-3

For the second consecutive midweek game, No. 5 Florida State (18-2) struggled on the mound and at the plate, falling 9-3 to Mercer (15-7) on Tuesday night at Dick Howser Stadium.

🔥 Game Recap:
✅ Max Williams (CF) – 3-run HR in the 6th inning (team-leading 8th HR of the season)
✅ FSU Offense: Just 3 hits, 14 strikeouts, only 1 extra-base hit
✅ FSU Pitching: 8 different arms used, 8 walks, only 51.2% of pitches for strikes

🚨 Chrest’s Injury & Its Impact
FSU’s midweek struggles continue following an injury to Evan Chrest, the Seminoles’ usual midweek starter. Head coach Link Jarrett provided an update on Chrest, stating that the right-hander is evaluating his next steps, but his return is not imminent.

Since Chrest’s injury in the loss to Florida, FSU’s pitching staff has allowed 16 runs in 17 innings across two midweek games. The Seminoles are 17-0 when Chrest or a weekend starter makes a full start but have struggled without him.

🔜 What’s Next?
🏟️ FSU @ Miami (Thursday-Saturday, March 21-23)
📺 First two games televised on ACC Network

🔗 More on FSU’s loss & upcoming series here.

🏀 FSU Hoops Signees Request Releases Following Coaching Change

Florida State men’s basketball has lost both of its 2025 signees, as 7-foot-1 center Nico Onyekwere and four-star forward Dwayne Wimbley Jr. have been granted their releases following Leonard Hamilton’s resignation and the hiring of Luke Loucks as head coach.

🔥 What This Means for FSU:
🔹 With Onyekwere & Wimbley decommitting, FSU currently has zero signees for the 2025 class.
🔹 Onyekwere (7'1", 240 lbs) – Signed in Nov. 2024, but was tied to the previous staff.
🔹 Wimbley (6'7", No. 148 overall, No. 31 PF in 2025 class) – Still considering FSU, will re-evaluate options & possibly visit Tallahassee again.

🗣 Wimbley on FSU’s New Staff:
💬 “I spoke with Coach Loucks last week. He’s still interested, and he said he will still be recruiting me.”

👀 What’s Next?
🔹 FSU’s new staff must rebuild the 2025 class from scratch.
🔹 Loucks could still pursue Wimbley while hitting the transfer portal & high school ranks for immediate talent.

🔗 More on FSU’s recruiting reset here.

🏈 5⭐ Edge Rusher DJ Jacobs Sets Spring Visit to FSU

DJ Jacobs, the No. 2 overall player in the 2027 class, has locked in a return visit to Florida State on April 19. The 6-5, 220-pound edge rusher from Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity Catholic is considered the top pass rusher in the country and already holds over 30 scholarship offers.

🔥 Jacobs' Spring Visits:
✅ March 27 – Notre Dame (Offered on Pot of Gold Day)
✅ April 19 – Florida State (Previously visited on Feb. 1 for Junior Day)

👀 Other Schools in the Mix:
🔹 Georgia – Expected visit soon
🔹 Alabama – In talks for a trip
🔹 Texas A&M – Staying involved

🎯 Scouting Report (via 247Sports' Andrew Ivins):
💪 Explosive pass rusher with elite size & strength
🏆 81 tackles & 6 sacks as a freshman in Georgia’s top competition
🚀 Quick off the ball, dominates in both run & pass defense
🔜 Projected future difference-maker at the college level

🔗 More on FSU’s pursuit of DJ Jacobs here.

🏈 4⭐ EDGE Jake Kreul Visiting FSU for Spring Practice

One of the top pass-rushers in the 2026 class, Jake Kreul, is making his way back to Tallahassee. The No. 3 overall prospect in Florida and No. 5 EDGE rusher nationally (247Sports Composite) will be on campus Thursday, March 20, to watch FSU’s second spring practice.

🔥 Kreul at a Glance:
✅ 6'3", 230 lbs | Orlando, FL (Edgewater)
✅ Top-12 Schools: FSU, Oklahoma, Michigan, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Miami, Ohio State, Florida, Penn State
✅ One of the top targets for FSU’s hybrid "JACK" LB/DE role

🚀 FSU’s Opportunity:
Kreul may not have the Seminoles at the top of his list just yet, but this visit gives Mike Norvell and his staff a shot to make an impression early in spring camp. With EDGE rusher a key position of need in 2026, FSU is looking to push into the mix for his official visits later this year.

📅 What’s Next?
🔹 FSU Spring Practice Begins – March 19
🔹 Kreul’s Visit – March 20

🔗 More on FSU’s pursuit of Kreul here.

And that’s a wrap!

From national championship pursuits to recruiting battles and key matchups on the road, the Seminoles are in the thick of it. Can FSU softball and baseball make statements this week? Will FSU football gain ground on elite recruits? And how will FSU hoops rebuild its 2025 class?

We’ll have all the answers right here in The Chief Brief—same time, same place! Stay locked in, and as always…

🍢 Stay hungry, stay fierce, and Go Noles! 🍢