Mike Norvell’s desperate Seminoles face a defensive gauntlet against the Panthers' elite run-stoppers. Ashton Daniels must navigate Pitt’s ball-hawking secondary to secure a vital ACC victory.
2026 will be a critical season for head coach Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles.
With only seven wins the past two seasons, the Seminoles will be desperate for victories. Here we look at another opponent on their schedule-the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Pitt is coming off an 8-5 season, 6-2 in the ACC, in 2025, including a 23-17 loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl. The Panthers won seven of their first nine games to start the season, but they finished the season by losing three of their final four games. Under coach Pat Narduzzi’s 11-year tenure, Pitt has posted nine winning seasons.
Their six conference wins put the Panthers in a five-way tie for second place in the ACC. But the head-to-head competition, including a loss to Miami, and the fact that they did not play Virginia or Duke, kept them out of the ACC Championship game. Nevertheless, the Panthers return some talent for the upcoming season.
On offense, Pitt returns two starters in the backfield. Quarterback Mason Heintschel returns from a freshman campaign that saw him throw for over 2,300 yards, 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He threw for over 300 yards four times last season, including a season-high 423 yards and three touchdowns in a win over NC State.
At running back, Ja’Kyrian Turner returns after carrying the rock for 745 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry.
Pitt returns four of five starters on the offensive line. While they will have experience on their side, their production left a lot to be desired. The Panthers ranked No. 132 in the FBS in sacks allowed at 3.39 sacks per game.
Arguably, their key personnel loss from last season is linebacker Raheem Biles. Biles was a terror on the gridiron, racking up 101 tackles, two interceptions returned for touchdowns, one fumble return for a score, 17 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
During the transfer portal window in January, Biles decided the grass was greener in Austin, Texas and signed to play for coach Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns.
One teammate Pitt was blessed to reel in from the transfer portal was CB Shawn Lee, Jr. Lee recorded 31 tackles, an interception returned for a score, and four pass breakups. The defense also returns three key starters/contributors that helped the Panthers rank No. 8 nationally in rush defense:
- LB Braylan Lovelace: 80 tackles (3rd on team), two INTs (1 TD), 5.5 tackles for loss.
- DT Sean Fitzsimmons: 25 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack
- DT Nick James: 22 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks
The Panthers will use that rush defense to stop Florida State’s Quintrevion Wisner and Ousmane Kromah. Wisner is a transfer from Texas and rushed for 597 yards and three scores last season. Kromah added 408 rushing yards of his own.
On the perimeter, Florida State receivers Duce Robinson, Micahi Danzy and Devin Carter will put a strain on the Panthers pass defense, a unit that allowed 235 yards per game through the air. But Pitt was third in the ACC (and tied for 14th nationally) in interceptions with 15, so for Seminoles starting quarterback Ashton Daniels, ball security will be paramount.
With Norvell calling the offensive plays, he will need to dial up some plays that provide points early and often on November 13 to keep the Panthers off balance if they expect to gain a victory in Pittsburgh in the fall.
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