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Yesterday’s Poll Results
Today’s Poll
Can FSU hold Virginia under 150 rushing yards?
🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹
Good morning, Seminole!
Tony White has a plan for Virginia, and it fits in one sentence: stop the run, then make them throw. Meanwhile, a starting safety is playing with a broken bone, Tony Elliott called FSU a blue blood (with a “but”), and Tuesday brought a decommitment and a four-star commit who was a little too honest about what happens if the staff changes.
Here’s what’s on deck this morning.
📋 In Today's Chief Brief:
🧱 Make It a Throw Game 🧱 - Tony White’s plan for Virginia’s ground game
🩹 The Safety Room 🩹 - A cast, a broken bone and a thin depth chart
🎤 The View From Charlottesville 🎤 - Elliott on Doak, Duce and “some monsters”
🎯 The Offense Keeps Scoring 🎯 - 11 scoring drives in two weeks
📉 Recruiting Reality 📉 - Connor Winn walks, Za’Kari Johnson gets candid
🏀 Hoops Homecomings 🏀 - Anthony Robinson II comes home, and the women head to ACC Tipoff
🗞️ Around the Noles 🗞️ - Soccer’s Swiss Army knife and Pro Noles news
Let's dive in. 🍢
From the Grill to the Lot, One Set Does It All.
Tailgates, cookouts, the pool, the boat, wherever your fall Saturdays land, Rowdy Crowd has a cup for it. The clip runs the whole tour: a cold one poured at the grill, a red at the picnic table, mimosas before kickoff, and a full lineup at the tailgate.
Here is why it fits our readers. The US Tritan drinkware looks like real glass but does not crack, cloud, or shatter, so you can hand a schooner to the buddy who always drops things and not think twice. No red Solo cups, no broken glass in the grass, no picking shards out of the cooler.
Build your game-day set before the next home game.
Tony White isn’t pretending he doesn’t know what’s coming Saturday. “This game is going to be a blue-collar, downhill one,” he told Warchant’s Corey Clark. “They want to rush the ball for 250, and we need to be able to take that away from them first and then make it a throw game.”
📝 The Blueprint Exists
Against NC State, Virginia ran for 258 yards on 57 carries, with Beau Pribula adding 110 on 15 attempts. Against West Virginia, the only team to beat UVA, the Cavaliers managed 157 yards, and Pribula was held to 1 yard on 8 carries.
White expanded on his Tebow comparison: “Chandler was more of a kind of like a Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield type. This guy is more like a Tim Tebow type, like a bigger guy who can run.” Chandler Morris had 266 total yards and five touchdowns against FSU last year.
White’s warning: “He can still rush for 100 yards on you like nothing if you let him.”
⚠️ The Problem
Against Power Four opponents Alabama and SMU, FSU allowed 201.0 rushing yards per game at 6.0 yards per carry.
The Osceola points out that FSU now faces three straight top-40 rushing offenses: Virginia (37th), Louisville (38th) and Miami (20th, 227.5 yards per game).
Players are holding player-only meetings led by linebacker Chris Jones and end Daniel Lyons, per edge Rylan Kennedy, who already has two sacks. Safety CJ Richard Jr. called the mistakes “nothing big that we can’t fix.”
White said his defense is executing at a rate “in the 60s.” ChopChat’s take: that’s the problem, not the explanation.
Why It Matters: White flat-out said pass rush “ain’t going to be the focus this week.” It’s an all-in bet on stopping the run, and West Virginia already proved it can be done. 🍢
🩹 The Safety Room 🩹
Safeties coach Evan Cooper met the media Tuesday, and the most eye-opening news was about a player who has been in the lineup every week.
🦴 Playing Through It
Starting rover Ashlynd Barker has been playing in a cast with what Cooper called a “broken bone in his wrist, or in his forearm.” Barker made a leaping interception with that cast against SMU but played just 24 snaps against Alabama.
Backups K.J. Kirkland and Donny Hiebert have missed time, which forced Cooper to lean on Barker. “He’s a warrior,” Cooper said. “I need him to play better. I need him to be who I know he is. He’s gotta just suck it up and be the guy.”
ChopChat called the situation a “terrible look” and pushed for freshman Jordan Crutchfield to get a real role.
📈 The Bright Spot
CJ Richard Jr. leads the team with 29 tackles, 20 of them in the last two games. Cooper: “Starting to show he’s a fantastic player.”
In its two Power Four games, FSU gave up 576 yards per game, and Cooper admitted his group has been trying too hard: “Sometimes, when you try too hard, you get mixed results.”
📋 Availability Check
Per NoleGameday, RB Sam Singleton Jr. and LB Blake Nichelson are unlikely for Virginia, while Caleb LaVallee and Tae’Shaun Gelsey may be available.
DE Darryll Desir and CB Quindarrius Jones were among those held out against UCA.
Why It Matters: Against a team that runs downhill 44 times a game, the safeties are part of the run defense, not just the last line of it. Cooper’s summary of the assignment: “We have to pack our lunch.” 🍢
Virginia coach Tony Elliott isn’t reading much into FSU’s 2-2 start. “It’s Florida State. It’s a blue blood. It’s one of the big-time logos,” he said Tuesday. “There’s always been a ton of talent in Tallahassee.”
🗣️ Elliott, Unfiltered
On last year’s double-overtime win: it provided “proof of concept” for the program. “If you want to be a champion in this league, I just believe that you’ve got to go through Tallahassee.”
On Doak: “I don’t know if you can simulate or recreate what it’s going to be like.” UVA is piping in crowd noise at practice anyway.
On FSU’s receivers after facing Delaware: “Now we’ve got some monsters.”
His instructions to Pribula when plays break down: “Don’t find a checkdown. Go get four, get down.”
🌟 The Duce Factor
Elliott recruited Duce Robinson out of high school and tried again after taking the UVA job. His verdict now: “In my opinion, best one in the ACC for sure.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper calls Robinson a “solid Day 2 prospect,” noting his 19.1 yards per catch.
🏥 Virginia’s Injury List
Devon Baxter (shoulder) is undergoing more testing, while Corey Costner and Dillon Newton-Short (hamstrings) are working back. Elliott called them game-time decisions.
Why It Matters: Bill Connelly’s SP+ has Virginia 21st and FSU 53rd, so the Cavaliers are the better team on paper. But Elliott keeps saying it: the talent gap runs the other way, and Duce is the clearest example. 🍢
Virginia Hasn't Been to Doak Since 2014. Host Accordingly.
Saturday's 3:30 kickoff means a full morning and early afternoon in the lot before the Cavaliers show up. That's a lot of hours for a cup to get knocked off a table, dropped in the grass, or stepped on.
Rowdy Crowd's wine tumblers, champagne flutes, beer schooners, and gin balloons look and feel like real glass but are made from unbreakable US Tritan. Pack them once, use them all day, and skip the shards.
Get your Doak setup ready.
🎯 The Offense Keeps Scoring 🎯
For all the defensive angst, the offense has quietly been doing its job. It will need to keep that up against the nation’s top pass efficiency defense.
FSU’s starting offense scored on six of seven possessions against UCA: four touchdowns, two field goals and a late first-half interception.
Ashton Daniels has led 11 scoring drives over the last two weeks, and only two possessions have ended in punts. He threw for 377 yards and accounted for four touchdowns against Alabama, then added 224 against UCA.
FSU is tied for first nationally in red zone offense (100%) and ranks 35th in yards per play (6.63). The catch: it’s 113th in time of possession, because the defense keeps giving the ball back late.
Norvell counted 13 explosive plays against UCA after 11 or 12 against Alabama.
Sophomore Kevin Sperry, not Malachi Marshall, got the first backup reps Saturday, per NoleGameday. Sperry went 2-of-2 for 14 yards, but his lone drive produced FSU’s first punt and its only sack allowed.
Why It Matters: Virginia gives up just 130.3 passing yards a game, so something has to give. If the offense keeps finishing drives and the defense can get off the field even a few more times, FSU wins this game. 🍢
📉 Recruiting Reality: A Rough Tuesday 📉
When a program is 2-2 and the head coach’s future is a weekly talking point, recruits notice. Tuesday made that clear.
Jacksonville University Christian three-star TE Connor Winn reopened his recruitment. He had been committed since July 1, 2025, making him the longest-tenured member of the class. “First off I just want to thank Coach Norvell, Coach Thomsen, and the FSU staff for the hospitality over the last year,” he posted.
FSU now has no tight end commits for 2027. The class sits at 16 commits, 31st nationally and sixth in the ACC per the Rivals Industry rankings, headlined by four-star safety Ta’Shawn Poole.
Four-star ATH Za’Kari Johnson of Miami Carol City told 247Sports he’s “still with Florida State to the end, but somebody somewhere else could flip me.”
On a possible staff change: “He’s actually one of the coaches that made me commit, him and Evan Cooper, so if they go, ain’t no reason for me to be there, for real.”
He’s visited Miami and Auburn, Florida is pushing again, and he returns to FSU this weekend before an official visit for Clemson on Oct. 31. Also, this: “I’m here to make them better, so it’s my job to try to go out there and change the history for Florida State.”
Ohio State hasn’t stopped chasing four-star RB commit Jayden Miles, who has visits set for LSU (Nov. 7) and Columbus (Nov. 28). Rivals lists his status as “Neutral.”
FSU is trying to flip UNC-committed CB Trey Johnson out of Texas, but Johnson says he’s firm.
2028 California QB Chase Curren (1,395 yards, 16 TDs, 1 INT this season) left his game-day visit impressed: “I could see myself playing for that staff.”
Edge Meshi Dobson is back in the class of 2028 after initially reclassifying to 2027.
Why It Matters: Johnson said out loud what most commits are thinking: their commitment is to the people, and the people’s future depends on the next four Saturdays. Winning on the field is the only thing that settles it. 🍢
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🏀 Hoops Homecomings 🏀
Basketball season is a month out, and both programs had news worth your time.
The Missouri transfer and projected starting point guard grew up in Tallahassee and starred at Florida High under Charlie Ward, winning 109 games and four district titles.
Luke Loucks on their history: “He reminded me that I think he rushed the floor that night we beat (North) Carolina at home, which made me feel really old. He was like, ‘I was 4 years old.’”
Robinson averaged 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists at Missouri last season. His younger brother, Amare Robinson, transferred in from Tallahassee State College. Anthony’s take on media day: “We bleed garnet and gold, so it means a lot to us just to put the jersey on.”
Seniors Solé Williams and Avery Treadwell will join coach Brooke Wyckoff at ACC Tipoff on Oct. 5 in Charlotte.
Williams led the team at 15.1 points per game (11th in the ACC). Treadwell, a captain, shot 58.2% from the field.
The 16-player roster includes the No. 12 ESPNW recruiting class and six transfers. Exhibitions are Oct. 18 (Tampa) and Oct. 22 (Palm Beach Atlantic), and the opener is Nov. 2 against Merrimack.
Why It Matters: Loucks needs a point guard who knows exactly what FSU basketball is supposed to feel like, and Robinson has been in the building since he was 4. That’s a pretty good place to start. 🍢
🗞️ Around the Noles 🗞️
Kentucky transfer Tanner Strickland, one of 16 newcomers, has a goal and an assist against Stetson and a game-winner against FAU. All four of her shots have been on goal. With injuries hitting the back line, she’s also played right back. Brian Pensky’s review: “Tanner, animal. I mean, absolute.”
With Janet Okeke and Bridget Mutipula back from the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Strickland should move back into the attack. FSU (coming off a 0-0 draw with Louisville) visits Clemson on Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Also: Kassey Kallman, FSU soccer’s first two-time All-American and first ACC Defensive Player of the Year, is headed to the FSU Hall of Fame.
🏈 Pro Noles
Bad news for Brian Burns. The 2025 All-Pro will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Jameis Winston remains the Giants’ starter with Jaxson Dart out for the season.
247Sports’ College Football Playoff tiers put FSU in “Longshots That Need Help,” alongside Boston College, Cal, Georgia Tech, NC State, Stanford and Syracuse.
Why It Matters: That tier label is fair at 2-2, but it isn’t permanent. A win Saturday starts the climb. 🍢
And that’s a wrap!
Thanks for riding with us today, Seminole!
Three days until Virginia. The Noles are back at practice today and we’ll have the latest from Tallahassee (and hopefully some better news on the injury front). See you tomorrow.
Go Noles,
– The Chief Briefers
