Coaching / Pressers
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FSU's Mike Norvell, both coordinators, spoke with media on Monday: Offensive growth, defensive failure
- Mike Norvell said Florida State's Sam Singleton will miss an extended period after Alabama, with only hope of returning later in the 2026 season. Tre Wisner has more opportunity after his camp injuries, and freshman Amari Thomas can earn work; neither a return date nor a fixed replacement workload was announced.
- Norvell expected K.J. Kirkland back fully after being available against Alabama and expected Donny Hiebert back after missing that game. Those are coach expectations for experienced defensive-back depth, not confirmed game-day clearance; younger Max Redmon and Antonio Cromartie had been pressed into action.
- After recurring alignment and communication failures through three 2026 games, Norvell said Florida State must reevaluate how much it asks defenders to do. He identified missing Cover 3 positioning and an edge blitz paired with an opposite-edge pinch that left the perimeter uncovered; this is a simplification review, not an announced new defensive system.
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WATCH: Mike Norvell, Ashton Daniels and Chris Jones review FSU’s performance at No. 10 Alabama
- Norvell said Florida State's defensive explosives included a bubble play without a set edge and quarterback scrambles. He also cited late wear, alignment and blitz-direction mistakes, missed tackles and Alabama's bigger personnel capturing edges as the run defense deteriorated. He did not announce replacement defenders or a new front.
- Norvell said he encouraged Ashton Daniels during the week to see throws and put the ball in the air to give receivers chances. He thought Florida State's protection improved enough to keep Daniels' eyes downfield and create big plays, despite remaining sacks and breakdowns. This described the Alabama game plan, not a new quarterback order.
- On Daniels' interceptions, Norvell described a missed over-the-top throw as pressure disrupted a potential scramble, plus hesitation against Alabama's mixed coverages and bodies flashing in front of the quarterback. He said Daniels was seeing the field well overall while identifying reads to improve, not announcing a quarterback change.
- Norvell revisited Florida State's late-first-half third-down aggression as a balance between preserving possession and an offense that had produced several successful drives. He acknowledged that keeping Alabama from getting the ball back would have been better in hindsight, but did not announce a standing clock-management or play-calling change.
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