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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Hump Day, Seminole!

Here’s what we’ve got for you smack-dab, in-the-middle of the week:

🏃‍♀️ Rylee Blade keeps the Noles running strong, earning ACC Freshman of the Week honors after an elite showing in Chicago.

⛳ Jack Bigham fired a final-round 66 to vault FSU Men’s Golf into a Top-5 finish at the Hamptons Intercollegiate.

🎾 Men’s Tennis heads to Gainesville for the ITA Southeast Regionals, looking to punch tickets to NCAA singles and doubles play.

🏀 Luke Loucks, joined by newcomers Kobe MaGee and Chauncey Wiggins, represents FSU at ACC Tipoff Media Day as basketball season nears.

🔥 On the recruiting trail, the Target List reshuffle reveals key risers like Chris Carbin, Jacob Curry, and Heze Kent, while this weekend’s Pitt visitor slate brings another wave of blue-chip talent to Tallahassee.

🏈 Finally, FSU looks to rebound vs. Pitt at Doak on Saturday — a noon kickoff on ESPN where discipline and execution could define the second half of the season.

👉 Dive in for all the highlights, storylines, and names to watch heading into a pivotal week in Seminole sports.

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🏃‍♀️ Rylee Blade Named ACC Freshman of the Week 🏃‍♀️

Florida State’s standout freshman Rylee Blade earned ACC Women’s Freshman of the Week honors after an impressive showing at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invite in Chicago.

🔥 Elite Company
Blade placed third overall in the women’s 6k with a personal best of 19:37.41, finishing behind only two runners from No. 2 NC State. She led FSU to a seventh-place team finish, ahead of nationally ranked programs like No. 7 Providence, No. 21 Wisconsin, and No. 29 Minnesota.

💬 What They’re Saying
Head Coach Matt Kane praised her poise and potential — “She races like a veteran and has untapped potential… this is the first of many accolades to come.”
Women’s Head Coach Cody Halsey added, “Her talent, work ethic, and character make her an exceptional teammate. This honor is just the beginning.”

👉 Read more on Blade’s breakout and the Noles’ performance via Seminoles.com

⛳ Bigham’s Final-Round Surge Leads Noles to Top-5 Finish ⛳

Florida State senior Jack Bigham powered the No. 15 men’s golf team to a fifth-place finish at the Hamptons Intercollegiate with a stellar final round at the Maidstone Club in East Hampton, N.Y.

🔥 Bigham’s Big Finish
Bigham fired a 6-under 66, the lowest round in the field, to climb from 35th to T-9 overall (-1, 215). His day featured two eagles — including a highlight on the par-4 seventh — and three birdies on the back nine.

💪 Strong Team Effort

• Andrew McLauchlan: T-16 at +1 (217) — closed with four back-nine birdies.

• Jack Whaley: T-18 at +2 (218) after a steady 73.

• Wilmer Edero: T-20 at +3 (219) — five birdies on the back nine.

• Patrick McCann: T-29 at +6 (221).

📊 Final Team Result: Florida State finished T-5 (+12, 876) in a strong national field.

👉 Full results and final leaderboard via Seminoles.com

🎾 Noles Head to Gainesville for ITA Southeast Regionals 🎾

Florida State men’s tennis hits the courts this week at the 2025 ITA Southeast Regional Championships (Oct. 8–13) in Gainesville, Fla. — a key qualifier for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships.

🔥 Who’s Competing
Corey Craig, Gabriele Brancatelli, Luis Felipe Miguel, Justin Lyons, Mohammad Alkotop, Azariah Rusher, Erik Schiessl, Oren Ezerzer, and Jan Sebesta will represent the Seminoles at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.

💪 What’s at Stake

• Two singles finalists and one doubles champion per region advance automatically to NCAAs.

• Last year, Corey Craig earned an NCAA singles bid, while Rusher notched a first-round NCAA victory.

📅 Recent Highlights
The Noles are coming off strong showings at the ITA All-American Championship and the Bedford Cup, where Rusher and Alkotop went a perfect 4–0 in doubles and FSU posted multiple singles wins.

👉 Full draws and live results available on the official ITA tournament page.

🏀 Loucks, MaGee & Wiggins to Represent FSU at ACC Tipoff 🏀

Head Coach Luke Loucks will make his first appearance at the ACC Tipoff Media Day on October 8 in Charlotte, joined by seniors Kobe MaGee and Chauncey Wiggins.

🔥 FSU on the ACC Network

• 🎙️ Loucks: 3:15 PM

• 🎙️ MaGee & Wiggins: 4:15 PM

💪 Meet the Noles’ Trio

• Luke Loucks: First-year FSU head coach, former NBA assistant with the Sacramento Kings, Warriors, and Suns. Worked with stars like Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green.
   🏆 Fun Fact: Loucks still holds FSU’s ACC Tournament record with 13 assists vs. UNC in 2012 — part of the program’s first-ever ACC title.

• Kobe MaGee: Transfer guard from Drexel; career .399 from 3-point range and known for his sharp shooting.
   🏀 Fun Fact: Named after Kobe Bryant — “My parents loved the name when I was born.”

• Chauncey Wiggins: Clemson transfer with 97 career games played and 36% from beyond the arc.
   👨‍👩‍👦 Fun Fact: Both parents were Division I standouts — his mom is a Hall of Famer at Missouri State.

📅 What’s Next

• Oct. 16: Exhibition vs. Alabama (Birmingham)

• Oct. 26: Exhibition vs. FAMU (Tallahassee)

• Nov. 4: Regular season opener vs. Alcorn State at the Tucker Center

👉 Watch the Tipoff on ACC Network and grab season tickets starting at $150 per seat via Seminoles.com

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🔥 FSU Shuffles Recruiting Target Board 🔥

Florida State’s recruiting board got a notable midseason update this week on Noles247’s Target List, as several key prospects shifted between priority tiers following the Miami weekend.

📈 Moved Up

• ⭐ 3-star LB Jacob Curry (Nease, FL) — High Choice ➡️ Top Target
   Now a priority linebacker target. FSU, Ohio State, and Oklahoma remain in the mix ahead of his official visit this weekend.

• ⭐ 3-star EDGE Chris Carbin — Interested ➡️ Top Target
   Decommitted from Georgia Tech and will take an official visit to Tallahassee this weekend. Trending upward fast.

• ⭐ 3-star S Xavier Lherisse (Oregon commit) — Interested ➡️ High Choice
   Visited FSU for the Miami game. Staff hopes to line up an official visit as the Seminoles work to flip the Oregon pledge.

• ⭐ 4-star TE Heze Kent (Florida commit) — New ➡️ Top Target
   Visited multiple days last weekend; FSU pitching him on being a featured tight end. The staff will battle UF until December.

• ⭐ 3-star OT Aaron Thomas (Ohio State commit) — New ➡️ High Choice
   Legacy prospect who visited for the Miami game. FSU is back in contention to flip the Buckeye commit.

📉 Moved Down

• ⭐ 4-star LB DQ Forkpa Jr. — Top Target ➡️ Interested
   FSU no longer pursuing heavily.

• ⭐ 4-star RB Derrek Cooper (Texas commit) — Top Target ➡️ High Choice
   Missed the Miami visit weekend; still on the radar but slipping.

• ⭐ 4-star EDGE Asharri Charles (Miami commit) — High Choice ➡️ Interested
   Official visit plans fell through; communication cooling off.

• ⭐ 3-star EDGE Elijah Satchell (NC State commit) — High Choice ➡️ Interested
   Hasn’t visited Tallahassee since being offered in July; unlikely to be a top target.

👉 Full updated Target List and live tracking via Noles247

👀 FSU Set to Host Key Visitors for Pitt Game 👀

Florida State’s matchup vs. Pitt on Saturday (noon kickoff) will double as another important weekend on the recruiting trail, with multiple official and unofficial visitors expected in Tallahassee.

🔥 Official Visitors

• ⭐ 3-star EDGE Chris Carbin — Hillgrove (Powder Springs, Ga.)

• ⭐ 3-star S Jacob Curry — Nease (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)

💪 2026 Prospects

• ⭐ 3-star LB Daylen Green — Gadsden County (Arkansas commit)

• ⭐ 3-star ATH Dream Rashad — Buford, Ga. (Purdue commit)

🌟 2027 Prospects

• iOL Noah Nixon — Buford, Ga.

• EDGE D’ante Seals — Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.)

• ⭐ 4-star DL Seth Tillman — South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.)

• ⭐ 3-star S Adryan Cole — Douglas County (Atlanta, Ga.)

• S Jameer Cantrell — Buford, Ga.

🚀 2028 Prospects

• ⭐ 3-star WR Seven Rashad — Buford, Ga. (Purdue commit)

• TE Asa Wall — John Milledge Academy (Milledgeville, Ga.)

• ⭐ 3-star EDGE Luke Nabors — Buford, Ga.

• ⭐ 3-star DL Christian Webb-Scott — Buford, Ga.

• CB Brendon Davis — Buford, Ga.

💡 Why It Matters
This visitor list reinforces FSU’s deep ties in Georgia recruiting, especially at powerhouse Buford, and gives the staff another major opportunity to connect with 2026–2028 blue-chip talent during a pivotal home stretch.

👉 Full visitor list and updates via Noles247

🏈 FSU vs. Pitt Preview: Noon Kickoff at Doak 🏈

No. 25 Florida State returns home Saturday for a noon kickoff vs. Pittsburgh on ESPN, looking to rebound from back-to-back ACC losses.

🔥 The Setup

• FSU: 3-2 (0-2 ACC)

• Pitt: 3-2 (1-1 ACC) | Head Coach Pat Narduzzi (11th season, 75-58)

Pitt enters off a 48-7 win over Boston College, led by true freshman QB Mason Heintschel, who threw for 323 yards and 4 TDs in his first career start — the first ACC freshman to do so since Deshaun Watson (2014).

📊 Panther Snapshot

• Offense: 41.0 PPG (3rd ACC, 12th nationally) | 307 pass YPG (4th ACC)

• Defense: 64.6 rush YPG allowed (2nd nationally) | 19.6 PPG allowed (22nd nationally)

• Key Concern: Just 27:20 average time of possession (120th nationally).

💥 Players to Know

• QB Mason Heintschel (Fr.): Historic debut vs. BC with 323 yards and 4 TDs.

• LB Rasheem Biles: Team-high 45 tackles, 8 TFLs, 2 sacks — a versatile defensive anchor.

• LB Kyle Louis: All-ACC candidate with 30 tackles, 2 sacks, and a takeaway in five starts.

• WR Raphael Williams Jr.: 18 catches for 320 yards and 4 TDs (4th in ACC).

🧠 Numbers That Matter

• Pitt has allowed under 1.2 yards per carry in three of five games.

• Narduzzi’s teams are 20-9 when their QB throws for 300+ yards.

• Pitt is 8th nationally in sacks (3.2 per game) and tops in the ACC in TFLs (9.4 per game).

📺 Series History
Pitt leads the all-time series 6-5, but FSU holds a 2-1 edge in ACC matchups. The last meeting (2023) went to FSU, 24-7, in Pittsburgh.

💡 Why It Matters
Facing one of the nation’s stingiest run defenses, FSU’s offensive discipline and turnover control will be key to snapping its conference skid and regaining momentum at Doak.

👉 Full breakdown and matchup stats via Noles247

And that’s a wrap!

That’s a wrap on today’s edition of The Chief Brief — where the focus shifts from frustration to renewal.
From Rylee Blade’s breakout and Bigham’s back-nine brilliance to Coach Loucks’ first spotlight moment, there’s plenty of reason for optimism across campus.

Saturday brings another chance to right the ship — Pitt at noon, ESPN — and the Noles have a real opportunity to show their growth where it matters most: on the field, in the fight, and in the finish.

Until next time — stay sharp, stay loyal, and stay unconquered.