It wouldn’t be “talking season” without a little bulletin board material, and that’s exactly what Florida State fans and players alike got at the opening rounds of ACC Media Days on Wednesday.
To set the scene, On3 ranked their top ten quarterbacks in the Atlantic Coast Conference heading into 2026, featuring plenty of familiar names and hyped-up newcomers in the world of college football.
Depending on who you ask, however, one name was conspicuously absent from the list.
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While guys like Darian Mensah and C.J. Bailey are givens, FSU quarterback Ashton Daniels feels like he belonged somewhere in the top-ten.
The Auburn transfer was asked about the perceived snub from On3 at Media Days on Wednesday in Charlotte, and the senior signal caller did not mince words.
On one hand, Daniels may have a legitimate gripe.
Seeing names like Christopher Vizzina and Lincoln Kienholz make the top-ten with virtually no experience has to hurt, especially with standout performances against ranked teams like Vanderbilt and Alabama on his resume (albeit in losses).
The experienced quarterback put up a combined 612 yards and three touchdowns through the air against both the Tide and Commodores in 2025, and he has over 700 passing attempts in his career.
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With that being said, his supporting cast at Auburn featured two top-end wide receivers catching the ball in Eric Singleton Jr. and Cam Coleman, and outside of standout Deuce Robinson, Daniels may not have the same firepower to turn to in Tallahassee.
It’s also worth noting that Daniels has a 24-22 touchdown-to-interception ratio for his career and has never averaged over seven yards per attempt in a season.
It is clear, however, that Daniels — and Florida State as a whole — will have to earn any respect they get by going out and proving themselves on the field.
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A 7-17 record over the last two seasons doesn’t earn anyone the benefit of the doubt, and although Daniels wasn’t a part of those messes, they are the messes that he inherited when he signed up to play for head coach Mike Norvell.
If Daniels can go out and lead the Seminoles to eight wins and, perhaps more miraculously, buy Norvell some more time in northwest Florida, I’m sure the folks at On3 will be more than happy to eat plenty of crow come December.
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