Chop Chat

It was a busy summer for 4-star athlete Za’Kari Johnson from Miami Carol City High School, reclassifying to the 2027 class, then committing to Florida State just two weeks later in July. Upon his commitment, Johnson announced that his recruitment was shut down, but now, a little over three months away from the early signing period, it appears to be open again.

I feel like a broken record writing about the NCAA, but it seems like every other week they find a new regulation that impacts athletes and fundamentally changes college sports as we know it. What is it this time? Former Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos thought his college career was over after the 2025-26 season.

Week 0 did not go according to plan for Florida State in the win over New Mexico State, and it is safe to say plenty of eyes noticed the clear flaws on the field. The Seminoles need to find solutions quickly in order to focus on the upcoming challenge against the SMU Mustangs, and the reality is that similar performances against stronger teams could finally push coach Mike Norvell out of the door.

If Florida State loses to No. 19 SMU in Week 1 on Monday night at Doak Campbell Stadium, it will be the program’s 14th ACC loss since winning the 2023 ACC Championship. With a trip to No. 13 Alabama on the horizon in Week 3 and an overwhelming possibility of a 1-2 start, it could very well be the unofficial and long-awaited end of the Mike Norvell era in Tallahassee.

Florida State is nearly back in action for a tough Week 1 clash against No. 19 SMU on Monday at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles did not deliver the best performance in Week 0 against New Mexico State, with a handful of notable recruiting targets in attendance. The same stage will be set for Florida State again on Monday, but this time around the opponent will be far more accomplished.

New Mexico State and Florida State may not have delivered history on the field, but the two teams found a spot in the television record books. The clash between New Mexico State and Florida State in Week 0 delivered the most-watched sports broadcast in the history of The CW Network. After an exciting Week 0 across the college football landscape, the viewership ratings were revealed for the biggest games.

Coach Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles are back after a disappointing 2025 season, but 2026 has brought more questions than answers so far. Norvell's team hit the field for the first time this season in Week 0, and the Seminoles walked away from the win with obvious issues along the offensive line. During the 34-17 win over NMSU in Week 0, the Seminoles displayed an offensive line that lacked the power needed to dominate opposing defenses.

Sometimes, when coaches say things in press conferences, they’re trying to convince the outside world it’s the truth. Other times, they’re trying to convince themselves and their team. The latter was almost definitely the case this week when head coach Mike Norvell said of his tight ends’ blocking efforts in Florida State’s 34-17 win over New Mexico State: “I thought they did a really good job.” Relative to expectations, that might actually be true.

It wasn’t the prettiest Week 0 win, but Florida State started off its 2026 season at 1-0 with a 34-17 victory over New Mexico State on Saturday. Now, the Seminoles will begin their ACC slate by hosting No. 19 SMU at Doak Campbell Stadium on Monday night. Over the last two seasons, Florida State has won just three total ACC games, which has Mike Norvell firmly on the hot seat. A Week 1 loss, even to the second-highest-ranked team in the conference, will only turn up that temperature.

Some went right, but a lot went wrong for both teams in the Week 0 matchup between Florida State and New Mexico State. Florida State returned to play after an awful 2025 season, and the changes fans expected to see were not on display. Among the culprits in the 34-17 win for the Seminoles was the secondary, as the Aggies managed to score and injuries stacked up.