In partnership with

Forwarded this email from a friend? Subscribe at the button below

Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Tuesday, Seminole!

The dust is still settling after Florida State’s program-shaking win over Alabama, but the ripple effects are everywhere—injuries, fines, recruiting momentum, and even basketball news out of the Tucker Center. Today’s Brief has it all.

Here’s what we’re diving into:

🏀 Women’s Hoops Schedule Set — Brooke Wyckoff’s squad lines up UConn, Florida, Indiana, and more in a loaded non-conference slate.

🙏 Ethan Pritchard Update — The freshman remains in critical but stable condition after Sunday night’s shooting in Havana, Fla.

💸 ACC Hits FSU with $50K Fine — Doak’s field storm celebration comes with a price under new league safety policies.

📋 Depth Chart Shakeups — Roydell Williams removed; young playmakers like Ousmane Kromah and Micahi Danzy move up.

🚑 Williams Out for “Period of Time” — Norvell confirms the senior RB’s injury isn’t season-ending, but the backfield reshuffles.

🏈 Linebacker Recruiting Heat — DQ Forkpa, Gregory Batson, and Chris Carbin all leave Doak impressed, giving FSU momentum at LB and JACK.

🧠 3 Things I Think, 3 Things I Know — From confidence in this 2025 team to recruiting priorities and stadium upgrades, takeaways from a defining weekend.

🎉 Win FSU tickets all season 🎉

You’re already entered for the next drawing for being a subscriber here.

Boost to 20× / 50× / 100× or lock a Season Pass (20× per game).

Past winners have said:

🏀 FSU Women’s Hoops Unveils Non-Conference Slate 🏀

Head coach Brooke Wyckoff and the Seminoles rolled out their 2025–26 non-conference schedule, featuring 12 games ahead of the ACC grind—eight of them at home in the Tucker Center.

📅 Key Matchups

• Nov. 3: Season opener vs. Florida A&M (home)

• Nov. 6: Georgia Southern (home)

• Nov. 9: Heavyweight road trip to UConn

• Nov. 16: Indiana visits Tallahassee for first time since 2009

• Nov. 20: Rivalry clash at Florida, followed by Illinois at home

• Nov. 28–30: Thanksgiving at the Coconut Classic (Fort Myers), facing Missouri State and either championship or consolation game

• Dec. 3: ACC/SEC Challenge vs. Georgia in Tallahassee

🏠 Closing Stretch

• Dec. 14: College of Charleston (home)

• Dec. 20: South Carolina State (home)

The Noles will also play an exhibition vs. Alabama in Birmingham on Oct. 16 before tipping things off for real.

Why It Matters: A loaded non-conference slate gives Wyckoff’s squad plenty of early tests—including UConn, Florida, Indiana, and Georgia—to sharpen the Noles before ACC play.

👉️ Full women’s basketball schedule here

🙏 FSU Freshman Ethan Pritchard Hospitalized After Shooting 🙏

Florida State freshman Ethan Pritchard is in critical but stable condition after being shot Sunday night in Havana, Fla., per WCTV.

📋 What We Know

• The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. near the Havana Heights Apartments.

• Pritchard was reportedly wounded while inside his car.

• First responders got him out of the vehicle and transported him to a local hospital.

• As of Monday morning, Pritchard remains in the ICU.

🗣️ FSU Statement

• “The Pritchard Family is thankful for the support from so many people, as well as the care from first responders and medical professionals, and asks that their privacy be respected at this time.”

• Further updates will be provided as available.

🚨 Investigation

• The Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the case is ongoing and they are seeking leads.

• Head coach Mike Norvell is expected to address the situation in his press conference at 11:30 a.m. Monday.

👉️ Full WCTV report here

💸 ACC Fines FSU $50K for Field Storm 💸

Saturday night’s win over Alabama set off a celebration at Doak—but it also drew a penalty. The ACC fined Florida State $50,000 on Monday for violating its new event security policy after fans stormed the field before both teams had cleared.

📋 The Policy

• Updated this offseason to limit access to competition areas in football and basketball.

• Only players, coaches, officials, and authorized staff are permitted until both teams have safely exited.

• Independent third-party reviews of security plans will be required starting in 2026–27.

⚖️ The Fine System

• 1st occurrence: $50,000 (FSU’s case).

• 2nd occurrence: $100,000.

• 3rd and beyond: $200,000.

• All money goes to the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgrad Scholarship Fund for ACC athletes.

🗣️ ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips
“Our enhanced health and safety initiatives reflect our responsibility to lead with integrity, prioritize well-being, and modernize operations to meet today’s collegiate landscape.”

Why It Matters: The win was worth every bit of celebration—but FSU now knows storming the field comes with a price tag under the ACC’s stricter safety rules.

👉️ Full ACC release here

The Key to a $1.3 Trillion Opportunity

A new real estate trend called co-ownership is revolutionizing a $1.3T market. Leading it? Pacaso. Created by the founder behind a $120M prior exit, they already have $110M+ in gross profits to date. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. And you can invest until September 18.

Invest While You Still Can

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

📋 FSU Depth Chart Shifts Ahead of East Texas A&M 📋

Florida State (1-0) released its official depth chart for Saturday’s matchup with East Texas A&M—and there are some key shakeups following the Alabama win.

🔥 Biggest Development

• RB Roydell Williams has been removed from the depth chart entirely. 

• Gavin Sawchuk now leads the primary RB spot, with Caziah Holmes and Kam Davis behind him.

• Jaylin Lucas and Ousmane Kromah are listed as co-starters at the secondary RB slot.

👀 Other Adjustments

• WR Micahi Danzy elevated to sole backup behind Squirrel White (no BJ Gibson).

• DL tweaks: Daniel Lyons added as a starting DT with Mandrell Desir backing him; KJ Sampson backs Darrell Jackson. Darryll Desir joins Jaden Jones as co-backup to James Williams at DE.

• CB rotation: Quindarrius Jones now sole backup to Ja’Bril Rawls, while Charles Lester and Shamar Arnoux are listed as co-backups to Jeremiah Wilson.

• Return game shakeup: Jaylin Lucas moves to the top spot at kickoff returner (OR with Sam Singleton), while Squirrel White is now first at punt returner (OR with Lucas).

Why It Matters: Roydell Williams’ removal is the headline, but the ripple effect is seeing young names like Kromah and Danzy moving up the chart—a sign of growing trust after strong Week 1 showings.

👉️ Full depth chart breakdown here

🚑 RB Roydell Williams Out for “Period of Time” 🚑

Florida State will be without redshirt senior Roydell Williams for at least this week’s matchup vs. East Texas A&M, head coach Mike Norvell confirmed Monday.

🔥 The Injury

• Williams exited the Alabama game with an injury.

• Norvell: “It’s not season-ending, but he will miss a period of time. I absolutely hate it for the young man… he was definitely a great contributor in that win.”

• His last carry was a bruising 4th-and-1 conversion that helped ice the 31–17 upset.

📋 Backfield Outlook

• Gavin Sawchuk now locks in as the lead back after a standout opener.

• Caziah Holmes (who scored vs. Bama) and Kam Davis slot in as reserves.

• Jaylin Lucas and Ousmane Kromah remain in the rotation after making plays in Week 1.

🗣️ Norvell on Depth

• Praised Sawchuk’s TD run as “a thing of beauty.”

• Credited Holmes’ scoring impact and Kromah’s flashes.

• Noted Davis is regaining burst after a nagging camp injury.

Why It Matters: Losing Williams stings—his physicality set a tone vs. Bama—but FSU’s deep stable of backs will get a chance to step up and show their value in his absence.

👉️ Full update on Williams here

🏈 Linebacker Targets Take Notice of FSU 🏈

Florida State’s win over Alabama wasn’t just a statement on the field—it was a recruiting spark for multiple top linebacker and JACK targets. Three prospects in particular came away impressed with what they saw at Doak.

🔥 DQ Forkpa (2026, 4⭐ LB)

• Called FSU’s linebacker play “versatile” and praised Elijah Herring and Stefon Thompson as proof of the scheme.

• “I can see myself possibly playing good in this system.”

• Has official visits left (Missouri on Sept. 27), but FSU is in his top two with Michigan. Intel suggests the Noles may actually be the favorite.

🔥 Gregory Batson (2027, 4⭐ LB)

• South Georgia prospect described the atmosphere as “unreal.”

• Loved how Tony White’s scheme mirrors his high school strengths: “That was my bread and butter.”

• Admitted FSU is his leader right now: “It’s probably going to be very hard to change that moving forward.”

• Plans to return Oct. 4 for Miami, while also checking out Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Auburn this fall.

🔥 Chris Carbin (2026, 3⭐ JACK / Georgia Tech commit)

• First visit to Tallahassee left him impressed with White’s defense holding Bama to 17 points.

• Coaches are pushing hard: “They’ve been recruiting me every day… out of 1 to 10, it’s a 10.”

• Still calls himself “100% Georgia Tech,” but will return Oct. 4 for his official visit vs. Miami.

• At 6’4”, 236, Carbin has the size and versatility to fit FSU’s JACK role.

Why It Matters: Forkpa, Batson, and Carbin represent three tiers of linebacker recruiting battles—one top-2 fight with Michigan, one FSU lean, and one committed elsewhere but intrigued. All three were in Doak to watch the upset, and all three left seeing themselves in garnet and gold.

👉️ More on linebacker recruiting momentum on each recruit here, here, and here

The Gold standard for AI news

AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.

Yours doesn't have to be one of them.

Here's how to future-proof your career:

• Join the Superhuman AI newsletter - read by 1M+ professionals

• Learn AI skills in 3 mins a day

• Become the AI expert on your team

Start learning AI now

🧠 3 Things I Think, 3 Things I Know 🧠

Florida State’s 31–17 win over Alabama was one of the defining moments of the Mike Norvell era. Here are three things Zach Blostein thinks and three things he knows after the upset at Doak:

💭 Zach Thinks…

• This Team Has the Right Stuff: Bama scored easily on its first drive—but instead of folding, FSU punched back. Physical play, fourth-down confidence, and schematic buy-in showed this 2025 squad is built differently than last year’s.

• FSU Can Compete With Anyone: Alabama ranked No. 2 in roster talent. FSU, at No. 19, beat them soundly. That means the Noles can line up against Clemson, Florida, and Miami—all top-15 rosters—and believe.

• The Renovations Paid Off: Doak Campbell Stadium felt transformed. Spacious seating, better concourses, no hassle concessions, functional video boards, and (yes) bathroom dividers. Fans called it a massive upgrade.

✅ Zach Know…

• Recruiting Buzz is Real: Recruits left Doak raving—and even prospects not in attendance reached out showing excitement. The win supercharged FSU’s perception on the trail.

• JACK is Priority No. 1: The 2026 class needs an edge rusher. Georgia Tech commit Chris Carbin is a top target, with other names like Kamron Wilson, Jarius Rodgers, Gustaf Henriks Ras, and Damaad Lewis in play.

• FSU is in a Strong Spot with DQ Forkpa Jr.: The 4⭐ LB has Michigan and FSU in the lead, with Florida fading. If he had to decide today, the Noles would be tough to beat.

👉️ Full “3 Things I Think, 3 Things I Know” here

And that’s a wrap!

🔥 That’s a Wrap 🔥

A week ago, beating Alabama felt like a dream scenario. Now it’s reality—and the aftershocks are reshaping FSU on every level. From the depth chart to the recruiting trail, from hoops to headline news, the Seminoles are setting the tone for what’s ahead.

This season is already proving to be one for the books. 🍢

Until next time—stay loud, stay proud, and keep the war chant rolling.