FSU football's QB depth chart: Should Ashton Daniels start in 2026?
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Florida State football’s quarterback room is complete for the 2026 season, with three transfers and returning rising sophomore Kevin Sperry all competing for playing time.
The Seminoles brought in Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels and added further commitments from Lafayette transfer Dean DeNobile and JUCO signal caller Malachi Marshall. He will enroll at FSU in the summer.
With Brock Glenn transferring out, the longest tenured player in the quarterback room is walk-on Micahel Grant, followed by Sperry. It’s a jarring statement, but it’s a true reflection of modern college football.
With Mike Norvell heading into Year 7 as the Seminoles’ head coach, this might arguably be the most open quarterback room of his tenure. It will be the third year in a row that FSU has a new starting quarterback, who has struggled to adapt to life post Jordan Travis.
How the room performs and who lands where on the depth chart can only be answered when games roll around. With that said, let’s dive into the tape and evaluate the Seminoles quarterback room.
Ashton Daniels: Mobile passer that fits Malzhan’s system, with some turnover issues
There are a lot of questions around Daniels and his projection as the Seminoles’ starter, but when you watch the tape, there is a fit for the Gus Malzahn offense. Now, that’s not to say Malzahn will turn someone who’s never passed for more than 2,300 yards and has 22 starts in his career into a superstar Seminole, though crazier things have happened, but Daniels skill set does work with the run-heavy spread system of Malzahn.
He has rushed for 1,401 career yards, with a single-season best of 669 in 2024, his final year at Stanford. The 6-foot-2 Daniels is a more powerful runner than Tommy Castellanos, opting to run between the tackles and get downfield with long strides, rather than Castellanos’ off-tackle approach that revolved around his speed.
Daniels has an average season grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) of 72, with a best of 79.1 in his freshman year at Stanford, where he appeared in 10 games mostly as a runner. In four games, he earned a 71 grade with Auburn, with his 83.8 grade against Vanderbilt, where he passed for 353 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 89 yards and two scores, a career single-game best grade against a Power 4 opponent as a starter.
When it comes to short to midrange throws, Daniels is a reliable option, but his downfield accuracy leaves more to be desired. He went 5-of-16 on deep balls last season, with two touchdowns, and is 33-of-113, 29% completion, on passes of more than 20 yards in his career. Another area of concern is his ability to hold on to the football, with a career 24 touchdown to 22 interception ratio, paired with 16 fumbles, a concering numbering for someone who will be asked to run a lot.
If Daniels ends up the starter, which is currently expected, there are some limitations in what FSU can do effectively, particularly down the field. But, his skill set isn’t too dissimilar to Castellanos, and it might yield similar offensive results for the Seminoles if Malzahn and Norvell can get more consistency out of the transfer QB, and more importantly, cut his turnovers down.
Dean DeNobile: Safe, experience backup choice, can be inconsistent downfield
One of the more under-the-radar pickups for the Seminoles was DeNobile, who transferred from FCS Lafayette in Pennsylvania. He’s been a prolific passer at the FCS level with 6,942 yards and 53 touchdowns to 23 interceptions in three seasons with the Leopards.
The 6-1 rising senior is coming off a 2,528-yard season with 19 touchdowns thrown to seven interceptions. He graded out with a 66.5 according to PFF, and has a three-year average grade of 76%. His fit with the offense isn’t as natural as Daniels’ or someone like Marshall’s, as he doesn’t run much and is more of a pocket passer.
DeNobile works through his progressions well and often makes a safe throw. Like Daniels, his ability to stretch the field is inconsistent, as he is more of a mid-to-short-range thrower. He went 24-of-71 on throws over 20 yards last season; however, eight of those passes were touchdown passes.
His addition to the Seminoles quarterback room brings valuable experience and someone who is a reliable passer. It’s unlikely he will compete for the starting job, opting more for a backup role, but it’s a good addition for FSU.
Malachi Marshall: Exciting JUCO prospect to watch develop
Go NOLES🫡 @Coach_Norvell@CoachJesseStone@CoachTuckerQBpic.twitter.com/fmw4fQsQyP
— Malachi Marshall (@Ma1achiMarshall) January 18, 2026
Arguably the most intriguing portal pick-up at quarterback for the Seminoles, Marshall is a talented passer and capable runner, though he has a pass-first mindset. The No. 1-ranked JUCO quarterback and reigning NJCAA DI Football Offensive Player of the Year, Marshall threw for 2,750 yards, with 33 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
The 6-1 Marshall has a good pocket presence, and while not a true running quarterback, he is able to scramble around the backfield to give himself time to find a receiver downfield. How that translates from the JUCO level to the competition that FSU is set to face is something to monitor, but his pocket awareness is a big positive for his long-term development.
He’s still a raw prospect, but he’s shown flashes of a Power 4 starting caliber quarterback in one season at FCS Stony Brook and his lone JUCO year. It’s unlikely he starts in his first year with the Seminoles, but crazier things can happen in fall camp. However, as a long-term developmental player, Marshall brings high upside to the quarterback room and could get game reps this season.
One major plus to his game is his deep ball. He’s accurate and connects on passes of more than 20 yards at a consistent level. While his ability to scramble in the pocket can help him load up some of those deep balls, it can get him in trouble by holding onto the ball too long.
Not a natural fit for Malzahn’s offense with his more pocket-focused passing game, Marshall is more than capable of passing on the run, which could still lead to success in the system. If there is a strong run game surrounding Marshall, that could circumvent the lack of true open-field rushing. There are a lot of unknowns with Marshall, but he brings excitement into the quarterback room.
Kevin Sperry: Starter potential, if he can best the competition
The lone returner in the quarterback room that’s expected to compete for playing time, Sperry earned praise from coaches, media, and fans alike in his freshman year with the Seminoles. Malzahn lauded his ability to process and adapt to the college game so quickly, and that has led to some speculation that he could find a way to compete for the starting job in 2026.
It seems unlikely at this point that Sperry, who stands 6-foot-1, will be QB1, but with a year of experience in the system and his natural talent, it’s not unreasonable to think he could do well if given the job. Sperry can run at a good level, and he’s thrown for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while running for 27 yards in his limited appearances for FSU last season.
In his final year at Guyer High School in Texas, Sperry rushed for 1,156 yards and eight touchdowns, while throwing for 2,523 yards and 27 touchdowns. He’s a dual-threat and former 4-star quarterback who dazzled in multiple practices for the Seminoles last season.
What his 2026 looks like is a big question. Daniels will likely get an opportunity to start the year as a starter, but Sperry has the talent to at least make the starter conversation interesting. If he doesn’t start this season, another year of development could set him up to be the undisputed starter in 2027.
Jaden O’Neal: Promising freshman will miss the 2026 season
The lone prep signee at quarterback, O’Neal, was a 4-star prospect out of Mustang High School in Oklahoma. The 6-foot-3 quarterback threw for 2,642 yards and 29 touchdowns while nursing a knee injury.
That injury required surgery, which O’Neal recently had. He will miss the 2026 season and will spend his time rehabbing and watching tape ahead of the 2027 season.
O’Neal, Sperry, and Marshall currently project as the future of the Seminoles quarterbck room. But as has become the norm in college football, there is no telling if they, or any other quarterback, will remain or join the roster through the portal.
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ashton Daniels or Kevin Sperry? Evaluating FSU football QB depth chart
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