Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

The vibes are sky-high across Seminole Nation right now.

Between dominant wins, record-breaking performances, and recruiting momentum that keeps stacking, this past weekend felt like the perfect snapshot of where Florida State is headed — and why fans should be fired up.

✅ Softball swept a ranked ACC opponent on the road and looks every bit like a national contender.
✅ Women’s Hoops dropped 94 in the NCAA opener and is one win from the Sweet 16.
✅ Women’s Golf? A historic sweep of the podium and another trophy in the case.
✅ Men’s Tennis is heating up with a 5-match win streak at home.
✅ And on the recruiting trail? Legacy Weekend delivered the spark — from blue-chip QBs to tight end unicorns and an O-line commit who’s 1000% locked in.

We’ve got records falling, stars rising, and the future being built brick by brick.

Let’s dive in. 👇

🥎 No. 9 Florida State Softball Sweeps No. 18 Duke with Sunday Statement Win

The Noles closed out a dominant weekend in Durham with a 9-2 win over No. 18 Duke on Sunday, completing their first road sweep over a ranked ACC foe since 2023. Florida State (29-5, 6-0 ACC) finished the week a perfect 4-0 vs. ranked opponents, outscoring them 38-19.

🔥 Sunday Highlights:
✅ Jaysoni Beachum – 1st-inning moonshot HR (10th of the season)
✅ Isa Torres – 3-for-5, 3 RBI, clutch 2-run single in the 4th
✅ Katie Dack – 2 hits, 3 RBI, key insurance knock in the 6th
✅ Annabelle Widra – Retired 9 of first 10 batters
✅ Ashtyn Danley – 4.0 IP in relief, 0 R, 6th win of the season

📊 Offensive Explosion:
– 13 hits from 7 different players
– Torres, Dack, Danley, Bueno, and Kerr all with multi-hit games
– FSU led 4-0 by the 3rd and never looked back

💪 Pitching Power:
– Widra + Danley combined for 7.0 IP, 1 ER
– Danley pitched 8.2 innings vs. Duke this weekend, allowing just 1 ER

🗓️ Up Next:
FSU begins an eight-game homestand on Wednesday vs. Stetson
📍 JoAnne Graf Field | 🕒 3 PM ET | 📺 ACCNX

🔗 Full recap and box score here

🏀 FSU Women’s Hoops Set for Showdown with No. 3 LSU in NCAA Second Round

Florida State (24-8) is dancing into the Round of 32 with momentum—and now the Noles face their biggest test yet. The sixth-seeded Seminoles will square off with No. 3 seed LSU (29-5) on Monday at 6 PM ET in Baton Rouge for a spot in the Sweet 16.

🔥 Matchup Notes:
🔸 FSU vs. LSU – 11th all-time meeting (LSU leads 6-4)
🔸 Last Meeting: FSU won 70-62 in Baton Rouge (2019)
🔸 Only prior NCAA Tourney meeting: LSU win in 2007

💥 What’s at Stake:
– FSU seeking first Sweet 16 since 2018
– Brooke Wyckoff looking to lead FSU to second weekend in her head coaching debut
– Seminoles coming off program’s second-highest scoring NCAA game ever (94-59 over George Mason)

💫 Star Power on Display:
✅ Ta’Niya Latson – NCAA’s top scorer (25.0 PPG)
✅ Makayla Timpson – 16 double-doubles this year, 101 blocks (7th-most in ACC single-season history)
✅ O’Mariah Gordon – 18 PTS, 4 AST vs. George Mason
✅ Sydney Bowles – 5-for-5 from deep on Saturday (tied FSU NCAA Tourney record)

📺 How to Watch:
– TV: ESPN
– Radio: Seminole Sports Network (96.5 The Spear, Seminoles.com, Sirius XM)

🔗 More on the FSU vs. LSU second-round matchup here

⛳️ History Made: Ting, Noles Sweep Podium & Claim Record Fifth Match Up Title

Absolute domination in Tallahassee. Junior All-American Mirabel Ting fired her way into the record books this weekend, winning the Florida State Match Up individual title with a school and tournament-record score of 200 (-16) — and leading No. 7 FSU Women’s Golf to its fifth team title in Match Up history, a new tournament record.

🥇 Individual Medal Sweep: ✅ 1st – Mirabel Ting: 66-67-67 (200) – Tournament & program record
✅ 2nd – Kaylah Williams: 71-73-66 (210) – Career-best finish & score
✅ 3rd – Lottie Woad: 74-72-66 (212) – 17th career Top-3 finish + 1st career hole-in-one (No. 13)

📈 By the Numbers: – FSU finishes 42 strokes ahead of the field
– Ting’s 7th career win ties Matilda Castren for most in FSU history
– FSU has now led 10 straight rounds and won 4 consecutive spring titles
– Seminoles have claimed 4 of the last 5 Match Up individual crowns

📅 Next Up:
🔜 ACC Championship | April 16–19
📍 Sedgefield Country Club – Greensboro, NC
🗣️ The Noles are chasing their first-ever ACC title.

🔗 Full recap + final leaderboard here

🎾 Seminoles Handle Georgia Tech, Extend Home Win Streak to Five

Florida State men’s tennis continued its hot streak at home with a gritty 4-2 win over No. 38 Georgia Tech on Sunday in the annual Seminole Heritage match, fueled by dominant singles play and clutch performances across the board.

🔥 Match Highlights: ✅ Azariah Rusher – Returned to the singles lineup with a bang, winning 12 of 15 games on Court 6
✅ Joshua Dous-Karpenschif – Efficient 6-3, 6-3 win on Court 5; now 4-0 at home in ACC play
✅ Jamie Connel – Gritty two-set win on Court 2; extends team-leading 18 singles wins, including 5 in conference
✅ Erik Schiessl – Overcame a tiebreak loss to clinch the match with a commanding 6-2, 6-3 finish

📈 Streak Check: – FSU improves to 12-7 overall, 4-4 in ACC play
– Undefeated at home vs. conference opponents (4-0)
– Five-match home win streak at Speicher Tennis Center

🗓️ Next Up: 📍 @ No. 13 Duke – Friday, 5 PM ET
📍 @ North Carolina – Sunday, 12 PM ET
📺 Live coverage on Seminoles.com

🔗 Full match recap + box score here

Top QB Bowe Bentley Impressed by FSU Visit, Building Strong Ties

Elite 2026 quarterback Bowe Bentley — ranked the No. 5 QB and No. 47 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking — wrapped up a loaded spring visit schedule with stops at Georgia and Florida State. And the Noles left a major impression.

💬 Bentley on FSU: “Florida State is building an exciting future. Love the connection I have built with Tokarz, Norvell and now Malzahn… Got a good understanding of how you would operate their O.”

Bentley visited during Legacy Weekend, where he soaked in advice from program greats like Jordan Travis, Jermaine Johnson, and Jared Verse, and got an inside look at the Seminoles' vision for the offense and upcoming facilities.

📊 2023 Stats (Junior Year at Celina HS): – 3,330 passing yards | 47 TDs | 70% completion
– 933 rushing yards | 16 rushing TDs
– Led Celina to a state title

🧠 What’s Next? Bentley says he’ll take the week to reflect, pray, and talk with family before locking in his official visit schedule by the end of the week. FSU looks well-positioned to make the cut.

🔗 More on Bentley’s visit + recruitment outlook here

💪 4⭐ ATH Heze Kent Gives FSU a “Second Chance,” Sets Official Visit

Brunswick (Ga.) standout Heze Kent may be listed as an offensive tackle, but don’t tell him that — the 6-foot-5, 275-pounder is laser-focused on being a tight end. And after a meaningful Legacy Weekend return, Florida State is firmly back in the mix.

🔥 Kent on FSU Visit: “My first time back in like two years, it was amazing. Love the culture. Love the coaching staff. I love everything about Florida State.”

Kent was locked in with TE coach Chris Thomsen all day Saturday, soaking up how FSU uses its tight ends in dynamic ways — lining up outside, in motion, in the backfield, and as blockers. He appreciated the clear vision that size doesn’t limit role in FSU’s scheme.

🔁 Why He’s Back In on FSU: – Initially left FSU out of a previous Top 5
– Reconnected with Mike Norvell before releasing it
– Now says FSU is “one of the most consistent schools” in communication
– FSU has built strong relationships with both him and his family

📆 Official Visit Set:
🗓️ June 15 – Florida State
Other OVs:
– Florida (May 30)
– Miami (June 6)
– Texas (June 13)
– Alabama (June 20)

🧠 On What’s Left to See: “There’s nothing really more I’ve got to see from Florida State… I just need more of my family to come up here for the OV. I want to see how my family feels about it.”

📍 Fun Fact: Kent was also offered by Gus Malzahn while at UCF — something his family loved at the time. That familiarity is a boost for FSU now that Malzahn’s part of the staff.

📊 Recruiting Profile: – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
– No. 113 overall prospect (247 Composite)
– No. 8 offensive tackle, though he’s set on playing TE

🔗 Full breakdown on Kent’s recruitment + why the Noles are trending here

🧱 Commit Reaffirmed: 2026 OL Xavier Payne Locked In with the Noles

FSU’s first 2026 commit, Xavier Payne, made his return to Tallahassee this weekend for Legacy Weekend — and if there were any doubts about his commitment, he shut them down with one sentence: “Oh 1,000 percent.”

The 6’7”, 320-pounder out of Tennessee has continued to explore other programs, but each time he comes back to FSU, the connection only deepens.

🔥 Payne on His Return: “Every time I come, I love it even more… It’s a great place to be for myself and my future, as well as my family.”

While on campus, Payne soaked in practice vibes and spent quality time with OL coach Herb Hand, who was the driving force behind his commitment in the first place.

💬 “The turnover [Hand] has from college to the NFL is unmatched. Our relationship goes way back to when he recruited me at UCF — and it only grew stronger when he came here.”

He also got to hear from FSU greats and NFL alums during the Legacy Weekend event, which had a big off-field impact: “They talked about how being a Seminole can set you up for life after football… That stuck with me.”

🎯 On FSU’s OL Outlook: – “Definitely got some room for the young guys to shine and compete.” – “Energy was good — even with some banged-up guys. It feels like a winning program in the making.”

📆 Summer Official Visits: – Florida State ✅ – Penn State – Syracuse – Arkansas

🧠 So why is he still visiting other schools? “Just to have fun, enjoy the process… I don’t want to burn any bridges. Anything can happen.”

🔗 More on Payne’s return to Tally and why he’s all-in on FSU

And that’s a wrap!

The softball squad is scorching, Ting’s rewriting the golf record books, the Round of 32 awaits for hoops, and the recruiting buzz from Legacy Weekend is strong.

🏹 Keep riding the wave, Seminole Nation — and don’t forget to hit those polls, share your thoughts, and stay locked in.

Until next time…
Go Noles 🍢