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Florida State’s first three games of the 2026 season have all been relatively competitive. Even in the 34-17 victory against New Mexico State, the contest remained up in the air until the fourth quarter, resulting in the starters playing every snap.
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The fans in Doak Campbell Stadium might finally get a look at the backups when Central Arkansas travels to Tallahassee this weekend.
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The Seminoles are nearly a 45-point favorite, which is more points than FSU has scored in a single game this season.
If everything goes to plan, Malachi Marshall and Kevin Sperry might make their debuts on Saturday afternoon.
Competition Ongoing For FSU’s QB2 Spot
Marshall and Sperry have remained co-backups behind Ashton Daniels on Florida State’s depth chart.
However, Marshall has been the signal-caller taking the second-team reps in pregame. It seems like the former JUCO Player of the Year has the edge over Sperry.
Quarterbacks coach Austin Tucker confirmed that the two are embattled in a competition.
“I know they’d love to play,” Tucker said on Tuesday. “At the end of the day, they both have to be ready for the opportunity. When that opportunity presents itself, they’re going to be ready. That’s part of being a guy that’s not the No. 1, there’s only one quarterback out there.”
“They’ve done a good job preparing. That’s something they’re going to continue to do, and there is competition going out there at that spot,” Tucker added.
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Marshall just enrolled in June over the summer. Despite being behind compared to Daniels and Sperry, he’s showcased a strong work ethic and an ability to adapt to whatever is in front of him.
“From day one when he got here, I think he did a good job of attacking everything and focusing on just his growth,” Tucker said. “We put a heavy emphasis in the weight room, just to be able to put on weight, and he’s done a great job with that. Obviously, every quarterback wants to get in the playbook, so he’s shown that he can learn pretty quickly.”
Tucker has seen clear growth from Marshall from the preseason to now.
“With that [playbook] and getting out on the field, he obviously was behind. Getting those initial reps in fall camp was the first time that he’s been out there,” Tucker said. “He did the work in the summer, but getting 11 in front of you, you’ve seen his progression from fall camp.”
Marshall led Iowa Western Community College to a national championship last fall. He connected on 210/319 passes for 2,750 yards with 33 touchdowns to 8 interceptions. He added 120 rushing yards and another score.
In 2025, Sperry appeared in 3 games off the bench. He completed 12/17 passes for 194 yards with 2 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. He rushed 7 times for 27 yards.
Florida State takes on Central Arkansas on Saturday, September 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/fsu as FSU Football’s QB2 Battle Could Finally Get Clarity Against Central Arkansas.
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This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 4:00 AM.