Mike Norvell explains what FSU football needs to settle before Week 1

Florida State football enters its final week of preseason with the team's focus starting to shift towards its season opener against New Mexico State.

The Seminoles open the 2026 season on Aug. 29 against the Aggies at Doak Campbell Stadium, and Norvell said he wants to see players continue to fight for their spot on the depth chart in the final preseason practices. FSU held a "compete day" over the weekend, and Norvell said it gave the coaching staff better insight on how the roster is shaping up.

"To see the guys, how they approached it, I thought we got the work that we needed," Norvell said. "Some of the young guys, or guys kinda battling to see where exactly they are going to fall in the early depth [chart]. I thought it was good to see them go and compete and get a better glimpse of where they are."

Among the position groups that have the most to gain and lose is the Seminoles' offensive line. The progress of the unit will be heavily monitored in the days leading up to the depth chart release on Aug. 24, with a few players earning significant praise.

On the offensive line, Norvell said the program is focused on finding "the best five" to start the season. That starting five is likely to include the likes of transfers Bradyn Welch-Joiner, Xavier Chaplin and Nate Pabst, but it still leaves two roles, in all liklihood a left guard and a right tackle.

Players like André Otto, Paul Bowling and Chimdia Nwaiwu are all in the mix for those final two spots. It's an important final week of preseason for that group, and Norvell said he's seen improvement across the line, particularly with communication.

"Every one of these reps and all the things we've had to do in practice, it's been beneficial. I think guys are pushing to be in that first five," Norvell said. "But also guys that we could defintly rely on throughout the coure of a game or as the season continues with the competition."

Working out the kinks and final detials isn't just exclusive to the offensive line, as the Seminoles have begun intergrating preperation for New Mexico State into practice. The Aggies went 4-8 in 2025, and it should be a game that Norvell and FSU should win, even if the depth chart is still a work in progress.

While full prepreation won't begin until next week, Norvell said the Seminoles spent about 15 minutes of practice working on sequencing and identfying looks that New Mexico State will throw at whoever is on the field.

"We got our first introduction, about 15 minutes, of working agisnt other oppents, looking at New Mexico State and some of the introductions of that we could potentially see," Norvell said. "But more sequencing of what that process is going to look like."

• vs. New Mexico State | Aug. 29
• vs. SMU* | Sept. 7
• Bye
• at Alabama | Sept. 19
• vs. Central Arkansas | Sept. 26
• vs. Virginia* | Oct. 3
• at Louisville* | Oct. 9
• at Miami* | Oct. 17
• Bye
• vs. Clemson* | Oct. 31
• at Boston College* | Nov. 7
• at Pittsburgh* | Nov. 13
• vs. NC State* | Nov. 21
• vs. Florida | Nov. 27

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: Mike Norvell explains what FSU football needs to settle before Week 1