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The Florida State Seminoles announced their starting quarterback for the 2026 season shortly after spring practice concluded, choosing Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels to lead the offense.
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Through the first half of the preseason, Daniels has shown that the Seminoles made the right choice. He’s earned consistent praise from the coaching staff and other players for his decision-making and accuracy.
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Behind Daniels, the situation remains somewhat unsettled with sophomore Kevin Sperry and junior Malachi Marshll grappling for the backup role.
Sperry has the edge as far as knowledge of the scheme but Marshall’s arm-talent is undeniable.
There’s another decision for Florida State to make at quarterback before the season kicks off.
Malachi Marshall’s Emergence Gives FSU Legit QB2 Battle
Marshall didn’t arrive in Tallahassee until earlier this summer. After missing the Tour of Duty and spring practice, it seemed unlikely that he would factor into Florida State’s plans this fall.
However, the JUCO Player of the Year and national champion hasn’t blinked while settling in with the Seminoles. He put in the time to learn the offense before getting to Florida State, and the efforts are paying off.
“I’ve been really pleased with the way that he’s transitioned. He’s a really smart young man,” Norvell said on Monday. “He has studied, even in portions of practice the other day, you felt his ownership of the things that he was being asked to do.”
Florida State’s coaching staff evaluated Marshall and watched his tape, but they really didn’t get a chance to see what he was all about until fall camp began.
Trust plays a big part in the quarterback position, and that’s something that is earned over time. Marshall’s quick progress has Norvell excited.
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“When you miss the spring, it’s all those reps. You have a quarterback that you want to anticipate, you want to trust what you see, but then it’s going to actually happen,” Norvell said. “I think that’s one area that he’s grown in these last couple of weeks. He still has some plays here and there, but I’m excited about what he’s shown.”
Norvell confirmed the competition between Marshall and Sperry for the QB2 job. The two even went live against the defense earlier in camp.
In recent practices, Marshall was the signal-caller repping directly behind Daniels.
It’ll be interesting to see which player gets the first nod off the bench on August 29, as long as the Seminoles take care of business first.
“It’s an absolute competition and push,” Norvell said. “We gave him an opportunity two weeks ago where he was live, and he got to go show himself in that type of situation. We actually came back and gave Kevin a couple series there on Saturday, during that tackling portion where he was live.”
“I thought that both guys have shown really good skill sets, ability,” Norvell said. “But they’re definitely competing.”
Florida State practices for the 16th time this preseason on Tuesday, August 18.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/fsu as FSU Football Has Legit QB2 Competition With Malachi Marshall Pushing.
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This story was originally published August 18, 2026 at 4:00 AM.