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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Thursday, Seminole!

It’s been another loaded week across Seminole Nation — with history on the court, accolades across multiple sports, and recruiting news heating up as Early Signing Day draws near.

🎾 Dual Tournaments, Double Firepower
Both FSU tennis programs are splitting squads for major regional events — the men head to Athens and Miramar, while the women chase NCAA bids in Baton Rouge and Jacksonville. It’s a busy weekend for the Noles on the courts, with several players defending titles and chasing national spots.

🏈 Stars Rising and Spots Shifting
Wide receiver Duce Robinson joined the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, keeping FSU’s name attached to one of college football’s most iconic awards. But the recruiting front brought twists — 3⭐ DL Tico Crittendon decommitted, while JUCO edge Josh Warren Jr. and 2027 RB Nigel Newkirk both placed FSU firmly in their sights.

📊 Grading the Future
With 27 commits, FSU’s 2026 recruiting class sits at No. 13 nationally. Our report card shows a class built on elite skill talent (A- at WR and DB), solid linebacker and tight end depth, but still seeking answers up front.

⚽ All-ACC Honors and Title Goals
Five Seminoles landed All-ACC honors, led by Jordynn Dudley’s third straight First Team selection. With the NCAA Tournament next on deck, the Noles look primed for another deep run.

🥎 A Championship Schedule Ahead
FSU softball dropped its 2026 slate — a gauntlet featuring four Women’s College World Series teams and 29 games against NCAA Tournament foes. Head coach Lonni Alameda’s crew clearly isn’t backing down from anyone.

🏐 Volleyball Pushes No. 14 Miami to the Brink
The Noles took the Canes to five sets in Coral Gables, falling just short but showing resilience ahead of Saturday’s rematch in Tallahassee.

🏀 Women’s Hoops Rolls into Round Two
After a record-breaking 112–39 season opener, FSU hosts Georgia Southern looking to keep the offensive fireworks going.

⛳ Seminoles on the PGA Stage
Current star Tyler Weaver joins Luke Clanton, John Pak, and Cristobal Del Solar in a PGA TOUR field — a testament to FSU golf’s growing national impact.

👉 From recruiting momentum to postseason honors, FSU is firing on all cylinders — setting the tone for what’s shaping up to be a defining November in Seminole sports.

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🎾 FSU Men’s Tennis Splits Squad for Dual Tournaments 🎾

Florida State men’s tennis will compete on two fronts this weekend, with players splitting between the ITA South Sectional Championships in Athens, Georgia, and the Battle at the Beach in Miramar, Florida.

🔥 Sectional Showdown in Athens
Corey Craig, Erik Schiessl, and Azariah Rusher will take part in the 16-team ITA South Sectional draw, where six coveted NCAA Championship spots are up for grabs.

• Matches begin Thursday at 10 a.m. with rounds of 32 and 16 played through Friday.

• Quarterfinals take place Saturday, while semifinals and finals wrap up Sunday.

• A consolation draw runs concurrently across the weekend.

💪 Rusher Building Momentum
Rusher enters Athens in strong form after advancing to the singles final at the Crimson Tide Fall Challenge, highlighted by wins over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt opponents.

🏖️ Battle at the Beach in Miramar
Oren Ezerzer, Justin Lyons, Jan Sebesta, and Gabriele Brancatelli will represent FSU at the TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort, where the Seminoles have won three of the last four tournaments. Lyons returns as the defending champion after capturing last year’s title.

👉 Full results and updates will be posted throughout the weekend on the ITA Tournament Page and Seminoles.com as FSU looks to continue its dominant fall campaign on both courts.

🏆 Duce Robinson Named to Biletnikoff Award Watch List 🏆

Florida State wide receiver Duce Robinson has officially been added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, honoring the nation’s top receiver — a fitting nod given his electric first half of the season.

🔥 Elite Company
The award, presented annually by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation and named after FSU legend Fred Biletnikoff, now features Robinson among the nation’s best playmakers. The Phoenix native leads FSU with 34 catches for 689 yards and four touchdowns, and his three games of 140+ receiving yards are second-most nationally — the most by a Seminole since Snoop Minnis in 2000.

💪 Highlight Reel Season
A two-time ACC Receiver of the Week, Robinson has delivered explosive plays throughout the year — including nine receptions of 30+ yards and multiple touchdowns from beyond 40 yards. His 82-yard score against East Texas A&M was FSU’s longest since 2019.

📺 Up Next: Robinson and the Seminoles head to Clemson this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network, where he’ll look to strengthen his case for college football’s most prestigious receiver honor.

👉 Robinson’s rise isn’t just about stats — it’s about reestablishing FSU’s legacy at the position that bears one of its own legends’ names.

⚽ Five Seminoles Earn All-ACC Honors, Dudley Headlines First Team ⚽

Florida State women’s soccer continues to prove its elite pedigree — five Seminoles were named to All-ACC Teams on Wednesday, led by junior forward Jordynn Dudley, who earned First Team All-ACC honors for the third straight year.

🔥 Star Power Across the Board

• First Team: Jordynn Dudley

• Second Team: Wrianna Hudson, Taylor Suarez

• Third Team: Heather Gilchrist, Mimi Van Zanten

Dudley joins FSU legends Deyna Castellanos and Yujie Zhao as the only players in program history with three First Team nods. She leads the team with 11 assists, 29 points, and 58 shots, ranking No. 2 nationally in assists per game (0.69) and No. 1 in the ACC.

💪 Balanced Excellence
Hudson leads the Noles with 11 goals and ranks top-five in the ACC for both shot accuracy and total goals, while Suarez earned her first All-ACC recognition after a breakout season in midfield.
Defenders Gilchrist and Van Zanten — both Third Team honorees for the second consecutive year — anchored a back line that produced nine shutouts and a No. 11 national ranking in goal differential (+30).

📅 Next Up: No. 6 FSU (10–2–4, 6–2–2 ACC) awaits its NCAA Tournament draw on Monday, November 10, marking the program’s 30th straight postseason appearance.

👉 Five All-ACC selections, three tiers of recognition — and one standard that hasn’t slipped an inch.

🥎 FSU Softball Unveils 2026 Schedule Featuring Powerhouse Slate 🥎

Head coach Lonni Alameda and the Florida State softball program released their 2026 schedule Wednesday — and it’s loaded with elite matchups. The Seminoles will face four 2025 Women’s College World Series teams and play 29 total games against NCAA Tournament participants, including two clashes with national runner-up Texas Tech.

🔥 Early Highlights

• Jan. 31–Feb. 1: First Pitch Party, Garnet & Gold Scrimmage, and Fan Day

• Feb. 5–8: Regular season opens at home with the JoAnne Graf Classic (Georgia State, Iowa, Marshall, Samford)

• Feb. 12–15: Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational — featuring Texas Tech, UCLA, Tennessee, and FAU
  🎟️ Tickets go on sale Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. at clearwaterinvitational.com/tickets

💪 Key Home Series
FSU will host Alabama, Notre Dame, and North Carolina, plus a marquee midweek rivalry game vs. Florida (Apr. 22). The Noles will also face Cal, Syracuse, and Liberty in a packed home slate.

✈️ Road Challenges Ahead
The schedule includes trips to Clemson (Mar. 27–29), Stanford (Apr. 10–12), and a tough closing stretch at Georgia Tech, Florida, and Boston College before the ACC Tournament (May 6–9) in Charlottesville, VA.

👉 With a deep roster and a championship-caliber schedule, the 2026 Seminoles are set for another run at Oklahoma City — and they’ll have plenty of early-season tests to prove they belong.

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🏐 FSU Volleyball Falls Just Short in Five-Set Battle vs. No. 14 Miami 🏐

Florida State (13–9, 7–6 ACC) pushed No. 14 Miami to the brink Wednesday night but fell in a five-set thriller (25–22, 23–25, 21–25, 25–23, 15–10) in Coral Gables.

🔥 Back-and-Forth Classic
The Seminoles opened strong behind Kyleene Filimaua’s early surge, taking the first set 25–22. Miami battled back to claim sets two and three before FSU clawed out a gritty 25–23 win in the fourth, forcing a decisive fifth. A controversial overturned call at 6–4 swung momentum back to the Hurricanes, who closed the match on a 6–1 run.

💪 Standout Performances

• Kyleene Filimaua: 20 kills

• Iane Henke: 20 kills

• FSU Defense: 13 team blocks (tied for season-high in ACC play)

• Nenu Kpea & Delaney Ewing: 6 blocks each

📅 Next Up: The rivalry rematch comes quickly — the Seminoles host Miami on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at Tully Gym on ACCNX.

👉 A heartbreaking loss, but another strong showing proves this FSU team can compete with the ACC’s elite.

⛳ FSU’s Tyler Weaver Joins Seminole Pros in PGA TOUR Field ⛳

Florida State junior Tyler Weaver will compete in this week’s World Wide Technology Championship at El Cardonal at Diamante in Los Cabos, Mexico — joining former Seminoles Luke Clanton, John Pak, and Cristobal Del Solar in the field.

🔥 Weaver Earns His Spot
Weaver qualified by winning the 2025 Cabo Collegiate, clinching the title after a dramatic three-way playoff at 8-under (205).

💪 Seminoles on the Tour

• John Pak: Off first at 9:47 a.m. Thursday — best finish this year came at the Mexico Open (T-17, -12).

• Luke Clanton: 15 PGA TOUR events in 2025, two Top 25s, highlighted by an -8 at the 3M Open.

• Cristobal Del Solar: 23 starts with a standout showing at the Zurich Classic (T-12, -22).

• Tyler Weaver: Tees off at 2:44 p.m. Thursday and 10:09 a.m. Friday.

📺 Coverage: Golf Channel (3 p.m.) | Sirius XM (12 p.m.)

👉 Four Seminoles, one PGA field — a showcase of FSU’s growing golf legacy on the world stage.

🎾 FSU Women’s Tennis Splits for ITA Sectionals and UNF Invitational 🎾

The Florida State women’s tennis team is on the move this week, splitting between two tournaments — the ITA Sectional Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and the UNF Invitational in Jacksonville.

🔥 Sectionals Spotlight
Eva Shaw and Millie Bissett will represent the Seminoles in Baton Rouge, competing in both singles and doubles. The duo — ranked No. 35 nationally — will play together for the first time this season, with six NCAA Singles spots and three NCAA Doubles berths on the line.

Bissett enters the tournament in strong form, starting her fall campaign 4–1 in singles play.

💪 UNF Invitational Bound
The rest of the squad will compete in Jacksonville, where FSU has dominated in recent years. In 2024, Mary Boyce Deatherage won Singles Flight A, while Cade Cricchio and Tina Li captured the Doubles Flight 2 title.

📅 Schedule:

• ITA Sectionals: Thursday–Sunday (Baton Rouge)

• UNF Invitational: Friday–Sunday (Jacksonville)

👉 Two tournaments, one mission — more hardware for Seminole tennis.

🏀 FSU Women’s Basketball Hosts Georgia Southern After Record Home Opener 🏀

Florida State (1–0) returns to the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on Thursday at 6 p.m. to face Georgia Southern (1–0) — their first meeting since 2005. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 4–5 after an 82–47 win in that last matchup.

🔥 Coming Off a Historic Start
FSU crushed Florida A&M 112–39 in its opener — the program’s 27th straight home-opening win and third-highest point total in school history. The Seminoles held FAMU to their fewest points allowed since 2023.

💪 Balanced Scoring Attack

• Sole Williams: 18 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl

• Tatum Greene: Double-double (14 pts, 10 reb) in her FSU debut

• Bench Impact: School-record 59 bench points

• Freshmen Mari Gerton (9 pts) and Pania Davis (14 pts, 6 reb) shined in their NCAA debuts

📺 Watch & Listen:
ACC Network Extra | 96.5 The Spear | Sirius XM 382
Commentary by Jack Kavovit and Melissa Bruner.

👉 The Noles look to carry their red-hot offense into Thursday night and extend their dominance at home.

🔥 JUCO Edge Rusher Josh Warren Emerging as FSU Target 🔥

While most recruits now use the Transfer Portal or lower-division programs as stepping stones to Power Four football, Josh Warren Jr. chose a different path — and it’s paying off.

💪 Betting on Himself
The 6’3”, 230-pound Georgia Military College edge rusher passed on offers from Tennessee Tech, The Citadel, and UNC Pembroke to take the JUCO route. His gamble worked: before playing a down of college football, Georgia Southern offered. Then came West Virginia, followed by Florida State, NC State, Maryland, and SMU.

🔥 FSU Making a Push
After seeing Warren in person during an October visit, FSU offered — and has since made him a priority.

• Mike Norvell and DL coach Terrance Knighton are in regular contact.

• Warren says Norvell is “the only head coach I talk to on a consistent basis.”

📅 Recruiting Timeline

• Official visits: FSU (Nov. 15), SMU (Nov. 21), NC State (Nov. 29)

• Also planning to visit West Virginia

• Decision expected in early December

📊 2025 Stats (Georgia Military):
22 tackles • 10 TFLs • 9 sacks in 9 games
Ranked No. 18 overall JUCO player and No. 3 edge rusher by 247Sports.

👉 A calculated risk turned success story — and the Seminoles are firmly in the race for one of JUCO’s top defensive playmakers.

💨 2027 RB Nigel Newkirk Names Top 5, Includes Florida State 💨

One of Georgia’s premier young running backs, Nigel Newkirk of Gainesville High, has trimmed his offer list of 30+ schools down to five finalists — Florida State, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Miami.

🔥 Why FSU Made the Cut
Newkirk praised the Seminoles’ blend of tradition and modern energy:

💪 The Contenders

• Miami: Family atmosphere, rising culture, and city energy.

• Alabama: Championship standard and pro-level development.

• Michigan: Elite academics and offensive player growth.

• Georgia: Built on toughness and NFL-level preparation.

🏁 Early Leaders
While all five remain in play, Alabama and Michigan are reportedly leading the race — but with years to go before a final decision, FSU remains firmly in the mix for one of the Peach State’s most coveted 2027 prospects.

👉 A long recruiting road ahead — and the Seminoles are still right in it.

🧱 3⭐ DL Tico Crittendon Decommits from Florida State 🧱

Florida State’s 2026 recruiting class saw a change Wednesday as three-star defensive lineman Tico Crittendon announced his decommitment from the Seminoles.

🔥 Background
The 6’4”, 300-pound Lithonia (Ga.) standout initially chose FSU over Tennessee, Texas Tech, and Georgia, but will now reopen his recruitment. Ranked the No. 53 defensive lineman nationally and No. 45 player in Georgia, Crittendon posted 51 tackles, 14 TFLs, and 2 sacks this season.

💪 FSU’s Remaining DL Class
Despite the loss, the Seminoles still boast strong depth along the line:

• ⭐️ 4⭐ Earnest Rankins

• ⭐️ 3⭐ Franklin Whitley

• ⭐️ 3⭐ Judah Daniels

• ⭐️ 3⭐ Wihtlley Cadeau

• 💨 Chris Carbin (EDGE) — expected to play the hybrid JACK role

👉 While Crittendon’s departure opens a spot, FSU’s defensive front for 2026 remains a well-balanced group — and the staff will likely explore options to add another high-upside lineman before signing day.

📊 FSU 2026 Recruiting Class Report Card: Strength at WR & DB, Questions Up Front 📊

With December’s Early Signing Period fast approaching, Florida State’s No. 13-ranked 2026 recruiting class is nearly finalized. The Seminoles hold 27 commitments, and while the class is balanced, some position groups clearly outshine others. Here’s how each unit grades out:

🔥 Quarterback: C+
3⭐ Jaden O’Neal (flip from Oklahoma) brings arm talent but limited mobility for a Gus Malzahn-style offense. A solid player, though not an ideal schematic fit.

💨 Running Back: N/A
No commits yet — but this could change soon with targets like Qwantavius Wiggins trending toward FSU.

🎯 Wide Receiver: A-
One of the cycle’s best position hauls: six commits led by 4⭐ Devin Carter, Efrem White, and Brandon Bennett. A blend of speed, route-running, and versatility makes this a dynamic group.

🧱 Tight End: B
4⭐ Xavier Tiller and 3⭐ Corbyn Fordham give FSU strong pass-catching options, though a true blocking tight end is still missing.

💪 Offensive Line: C
Four developmental prospects — Da’Ron Parks, Michael Ionata, Jakobe Green, and Luke Francis — bring depth, but no true left tackle or instant-impact lineman.

🧱 Defensive Line: B
(Originally included Tico Crittendon, who has since decommitted.) Without a blue-chip name, this group leans on upside with Earnest Rankins and Franklin Whitley leading the way.

⚡ Edge Rushers: D+
Only one commitment — Chris Carbin — so far. FSU needs more proven pass-rushers before signing day.

🧠 Linebacker: B
4⭐ Izayia Williams headlines the group but is recovering from knee surgery. Solid depth pieces in Karon Maycock, Daylen Green, and Noah LaVallee give this room steady potential.

🔒 Defensive Backs: A-
Headlined by 5⭐ Chauncey Kennon and 4⭐ Jay Timmons, this is a premier unit — if FSU can hold off Ohio State for Timmons. Depth and versatility make this one of Norvell’s best secondary classes.

👉 Overall Grade: B
FSU’s 2026 class is balanced, deep, and well-scouted, with elite skill-position talent offset by lingering concerns on the offensive and defensive fronts. The Seminoles will aim to close strong at RB, Edge, and OL before the Early Signing Period next month.

And that’s a wrap!

That’s all for today’s edition of The Chief Brief — a day where Seminoles made headlines from the court to the recruiting trail. With All-ACC honors stacking up, new names entering (and exiting) the 2026 class, and Duce Robinson etching his name next to a Seminole legend, the energy around FSU athletics feels like it’s building toward something big.

Keep your eyes on Friday’s rematches, recruiting visits, and another jam-packed weekend of Nole action.

Until then — stay sharp, stay faithful, and stay unconquered.

🔥 Go Noles. Always. 🔥