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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

What made the biggest difference in FSU’s win at Pitt?

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Saturday, Seminole!

A week ago, FSU hadn’t won on the road in nearly three years. Now it has two straight. The defense closed out a 16–10 win at Pitt on Friday, and the Noles come home with two chances to clinch bowl eligibility. Back in Tallahassee, Luke Loucks’ team won by 24 and Trey Jones landed the nation’s top men’s golf signing class.

📋 In Today’s Chief Brief

🏈 Three Fourth-Down Stops Seal FSU’s 16–10 Win. Florida State beats Pitt to get back to .500 and within one win of bowl eligibility.

🪓 Stockstill Brings Home a Piece of Pitt. A short week, a depleted roster and FSU’s first sod win since the 2023 ACC title.

🩹 Amari Thomas Exits, Zay Parks Steps In. The freshman scored FSU’s only touchdown before leaving with an apparent ankle injury.

🎯 Johnson Reopens His Recruitment as Poole and Miles Weigh Options. Za’Kari Johnson is backing off his FSU pledge, while two of the class’s top commits face important weeks.

🎠 Saturday’s Coaching Search Watch List. Manny Diaz, Rhett Lashlee, Glenn Schumann, Jason Eck and Eric Morris all have games worth tracking.

🏀 FSU Wins the Glass and Beats the Islanders 84–60. Sebastian Rancik leads four Noles in double figures, and FSU grabs 25 offensive rebounds.

📅 Ball State Next, Green Bay Moves to Noon. The Noles have two more games at Tucker next week and show up in CBS Sports’ first in-season bracket.

⛳ Russell and Woods Headline the No. 1 Men’s Golf Class. Trey Jones signed four golfers for 2027–28, including the three-time AJGA Player of the Year.

👟 Six Seminoles Earn All-Region Honors. Both FSU teams finish fourth at Apalachee Regional Park and await today’s NCAA selections.

🏐 Volleyball Wins at BC, Beach Hosts Garnet and Gold. Kyleene Filimaua powers a four-set ACC win, and the Sandy Noles scrimmage at 4 p.m. ET today.

🏟️ NFL ’Noles to Watch This Weekend. From Jameis Winston on Thursday night to Joshua Farmer’s game in Munich, here’s where to find former Noles.

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🏈 Three Fourth-Down Stops Seal FSU’s 16–10 Win

Florida State went nearly three years between road wins. It took six days to get the next one. The Noles beat Pitt 16–10 at Acrisure Stadium to move to 5–5 and 2–0 under interim coach Rick Stockstill.

The play that flipped it. Down 7–6 after halftime, FSU got the ball at the Pitt 32 when Rylan Kennedy picked off a deflected Corey Dailey pass. Amari Thomas scored from the 1 five plays later to put the Noles ahead for good.
Three stops to close. Jordan Sanders helped stuff fourth-and-1, Caleb LaVallee sacked Dailey on fourth-and-3 after Chris Jones was ejected for targeting, and Omar Graham Jr. pressured Dailey into the fourth-down incompletion that ended Pitt’s last chance.
Special teams made the margin. Gabe Panikowski made all three field goals, including a season-long 47-yarder, to extend his streak to 26 straight makes at the NCAA level. With about two minutes left, Daniel Hughes dropped a 64-yard punt at Pitt’s 2.
One more for bowl eligibility. FSU hosts NC State for Homecoming on Nov. 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network. Florida visits Doak on Nov. 27.

🪓 Stockstill Brings Home a Piece of Pitt

Florida State will add to the Sod Cemetery for the first time since the 2023 ACC Championship Game. Tomahawk Nation notes it was also FSU’s first win as a road underdog since 2021.

What changed on defense. Noles247 reported that interim coordinator Ernie Sims leaned on a consistent four-down front and dialed up pressure as the game went on. FSU finished with seven tackles for loss and held Pitt to three points after halftime in Dailey’s start.
The coach’s perspective. Stockstill said his team “packed our toughness” after preparing on a short week. The former FSU quarterback had brought home sod as a player. Friday gave him his first chance to do it as a coach.
Help from the younger guys. Freshman Jasen Lopez set career highs with five catches and 72 yards, including a 46-yarder that set up FSU’s second field goal. Ashton Daniels completed 16 of 24 passes for 163 yards.

🩹 Amari Thomas Exits, Zay Parks Steps In

FSU went to its fifth running back after Thomas limped off in the second half. Thomas had 13 carries for 30 yards and the go-ahead touchdown.

Who was already out. Ousmane Kromah, Samuel Singleton Jr. and Tre Wisner missed Friday’s game. That left Thomas as the lead back after his breakout at Boston College and former walk-on Zay Parks next up.
What to watch this week. Parks handled the backfield work after Thomas went down. Thomas’ status for NC State is the next thing to watch. Warchant’s film breakdown explains what his patience and instincts brought to the ground game before Friday.

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🎯 Johnson Reopens His Recruitment as Poole and Miles Weigh Options

With the early signing period opening Dec. 2, one FSU safety pledge is reopening his recruitment and another is waiting for clarity on the next staff.

Za’Kari Johnson. A source told 247Sports the Miami Carol City safety is decommitting, citing the departure of lead recruiter and safeties coach Evan Cooper as the main reason. Johnson committed in July and officially visited FSU on Oct. 30.
Ta’Shawn Poole. He remains committed. In 247Sports’ Flip or Stick feature, Brendan Sonnone leans toward a flip if FSU can’t give Poole clarity around Thanksgiving. Tennessee is the main challenger in his reporting, with Miami back in the mix.
Jayden Miles. The four-star FSU running back commit returns to LSU for an official visit this weekend after attending the Alabama game. Geaux247 says LSU is in a good spot, with a Missouri official scheduled for next weekend.
Two names for 2028. Top247 offensive lineman Ryan Walls is expected at Kentucky’s game against Florida. FSU remains in the mix. FSU is also among the schools Geaux247 is tracking for Louisiana linebacker Shamar Evans, who plans to decide Jan. 9, with LSU favored.

🎠 Saturday’s Coaching Search Watch List

With Jake Dickert extended at Wake Forest, Saturday’s slate still gives FSU fans a look at several names from the Noles247 coaching board.

Noon ET. Manny Diaz and Duke visit Miami on ABC. Rhett Lashlee and SMU host Wake Forest on ESPN in a game that matters to the ACC title race.
3:30 p.m. ET. Glenn Schumann’s Georgia defense faces Missouri on ABC. Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz has publicly ruled himself out of the FSU search.
Saturday night. Jason Eck’s New Mexico hosts UNLV at 7:30 p.m. ET on The CW. At 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, Eric Morris and Oklahoma State host Texas Tech, which features former FSU quarterback Thomas Castellanos.
Next week’s opponent has its coach. NC State announced former Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers as its next head coach Friday. Rivers comes from six seasons as a high school head coach in Alabama.

🏀 FSU Wins the Glass and Beats the Islanders 84–60

Florida State moved to 3–1 with an 84–60 win over Texas A&M–Corpus Christi. A 10–0 start gave the Noles an early cushion, and second chances and free throws kept them in control through a rough shooting night.

The rebounding edge. FSU won the glass 58–25, matching the Islanders’ entire rebounding total with 25 offensive boards. Rancik led all scorers with 17 and grabbed eight rebounds.
How FSU scored. The Noles went 36-for-45 at the line, their most makes since 1993. They hit just one of 11 threes in the first half. Kam Taylor finished with 14 points, and Anthony Robinson II scored 10 and made all six of his free throws.
The rotation. NoleGameday noted that Brandon Bass Jr. scored eight and Martay Barnes finished with two on 0-for-6 shooting. Finding reliable bench minutes is still a question for Luke Loucks as the schedule gets tougher.

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📅 Ball State Next, Green Bay Moves to Noon

Florida State stays home for Ball State on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. ET. Friday’s game has a new tip time.

Set your Friday calendar. FSU moved the Nov. 20 Green Bay game at the Tucker Center to noon ET.
An early look at March. CBS Sports put FSU among its last four teams in, with a projected opening-round game against Indiana on the No. 12 seed line. It’s the outlet’s first in-season projection.

Read more here · Official Green Bay time change · CBS Sports bracketology

⛳ Russell and Woods Headline the No. 1 Men’s Golf Class

Golf Channel and Golfweek rank Florida State’s four-man signing class first nationally, according to FSU. The group includes three Florida golfers and a Swedish national team member.

Miles Russell. The Jacksonville Beach standout is a three-time AJGA Player of the Year and No. 6 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at signing. He qualified for the 2026 U.S. Open with fellow FSU signee Charlie Woods on the bag.
Charlie Woods. The Jupiter native helped the Benjamin School win Florida Class 1A state titles in 2023 and 2025. He shot a 68 in the 2025 state tournament and won his district individually in 2026.
Kaden Puranik and Edwin Askerfors. Puranik won his district with Windermere Prep and finished sixth at the Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship. Askerfors has won five events in Sweden since 2025 and finished 17th at the 2026 Amateur Championship.

Read more here · FSU’s signing release and player bios

👟 Six Seminoles Earn All-Region Honors

Florida State’s women and men both finished fourth at the NCAA South Regional, outside the two automatic team spots. The NCAA announces the rest of the field today at 5 p.m. ET.

Women’s 6K. Nicole Dinan led FSU in 13th for her first All-Region honor. Bieke Schipperen finished 15th for her third straight, and Bella Grenier (24th) and Rylee Blade (25th) rounded out the women’s four honorees.
Men’s 10K. Kaden Levings ran a personal-best 30:05.3 for 14th, and Isaac Hirshman Chandler took 21st. Fourth was FSU’s best men’s team finish at the regional since 2023.
What’s next. The selection show airs on NCAA.com. Nationals are Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Read more here · FSU results and selection show info

🏐 Volleyball Wins at BC, Beach Hosts Garnet and Gold

Florida State opened its five-match road stretch with a 3–1 win at Boston College. The Noles are now 14–12 overall and 8–7 in the ACC.

Filimaua finishes it. The reigning ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week put away her 21st kill on match point. Bailey Higgins tied her career high with 14 kills, and Emma Lilo matched her season high with 46 assists.
Sunday at Syracuse. First serve is 1 p.m. ET on ACCNX as FSU continues its road trip.
Beach volleyball at home today. Brooke Niles’ team splits into two squads for the annual Garnet and Gold scrimmage at 4 p.m. ET, following the program’s Elite ID Camp.

🏟️ NFL ’Noles to Watch This Weekend

Noles247 has the Week 10 alumni rundown, including a Sunday morning kickoff in Germany.

Thursday night. Jameis Winston had two carries for the Giants in a 24–21 loss to Washington. The roundup includes his hard-count clip.
Sunday morning. Joshua Farmer’s Patriots face Detroit in Munich at 9:30 a.m. ET on FOX.
Early Sunday slate. Buffalo’s Keon Coleman faces a Jets roster with Darrell Jackson Jr. and Azareye’h Thomas at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. Jared Verse and Cleveland host Houston at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.

Read more here · Noles247’s full NFL schedule and alumni tracker

And that’s a wrap!

Two straight road wins,and now the Noles get to bring that defense back to Doak.

Go Noles! 🍢

🏹 November 14th - The Chief Brief 🏹