Head coach Mike Norvell has long supported the NCAA’s five-for-five rule, which will take effect for the 2026-27 athletic season. The ruling, which lingered for years, eliminates redshirts. All athletes have up to five years of eligibility, but every year counts, including injuries.
For many head coaches, this provides clarity for their rosters, rather than the ridiculous waivers and sixth years granted because COVID complicated eligibility rulings. It also allows players of all ages to see the field whenever they are ready, instead of trying to schedule which games to play in order to keep their redshirt (players could play in four games in previous years to maintain their redshirt). With that in mind, Norvell hopes and believes that multiple members of his massive 34-player incoming freshman class can make an impact on the 2026 team due to their freedom to play.
“I think it does open the door, especially earlier,” Norvell told the local Tallahassee media ahead of FSU’s first game of the season against New Mexico State on Saturday. “If a guy shows to be the best at a position, we can have confidence to play him, knowing that those are just great opportunities for him to go out and help the team and not worrying about a time when you might pull somebody back (to preserve a redshirt).
One freshman who seems primed to see the field early for the Seminoles is Jasen Lopez. Lopez joined the Seminole football team late, after starting the 2026 calendar year with Luke Loucks and men’s hoops, but the coaching staff says he looks like a veteran. The wide receiver should be in a rotation for snaps in the slot, competing against Jayvan Boggs and Micahi Danzy. But if wide receiver Devin Carter, another freshman, misses time due to injury, as reported by Warchant.com on Tuesday, all Lopez will have to do is walk through the door to find substantial playing time in his first season in Tallahassee. Here was Norvell after the second scrimmage on his two-sport freshman.
“I mean he’s a guy that doesn’t really act like a freshman. So I’m not going to put him as a freshman player until he shows me that’s how he’s going to act…I think Jasen is putting himself in a position that he’s challenging for significant opportunities.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the head coach also seems open to letting his first-year players see the field and grow throughout the season. Throughout spring and now fall camp, Norvell highlighted linebacker Izayia Williams as someone playing themself onto the field. Williams did deal with an injury during fall camp, but after returning to the field, Norvell made it appear that he picked up where he left off. FSU’s linebacking corps is filled with veterans who rely on instincts and knowledge over athleticism. If Williams earns more playing time, he could provide the room with a needed boost.
“I think Izayia Williams is a guy you’re definitely going to see that I’m excited about. Even coming off a slight injury, he’s just hit the ground running coming back in. What that looks like throughout the course of the game, or how many plays, we’ll get a better sense of that as it continues to unfold.”
Both Williams and Lopez were four-star recruits according to 247Sports, but the head coach also highlighted a couple of three-star players as well. Jordan Crutchfield, ranked the 80th player in Florida, could be a defensive back who sees the field throughout the season. The Vero Beach native certainly has the size to play right away, listed by Seminoles.com as 6’3” and 218 pounds, and with a season-long injury to transfer defensive back Karson Hobbs, Crutchfield has a chance to take advantage of the opportunity. Alongside Crutchfield, linebacker Daylen Green, a three-star Florida Panhandle prospect, could contribute on special teams, Norvell said on Monday, while he continues to work through the demands of the linebacker position.
But the five-for-five rule does not just affect freshmen. Quarterback Malachi Marshall, the JUCO offensive player of the year in 2025, joined FSU in the summer and, under the usual redshirt rules, would be a prime candidate to preserve that and take a year to acclimate to P4 football. However, as with the first-year players, whatever he earns in practice, he can take advantage of on the field. Throughout fall camp, it seemed like he caught up to backup Kevin Sperry to be the deputy behind Ashton Daniels. If the season goes sideways with Daniels at the helm, would Norvell be more willing to insert the uber-talented Marshall to try and resuscitate the FSU season and his time in Tallahassee? The new rule changes make it possible. Norvell also touched on Marshall’s acclamation to the Seminole program and where he stands heading into the new football season on Monday.
“He’s done a great job coming in. Like anybody coming in late May or June, there is just a tidal wave of information…I’ve just been really pleased with what I’ve seen, even his physical development. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he’s already gained 18 pounds since being here…Now that you don’t have the redshirt and there are three years, he’s put himself in a position to play, and I’m definitely excited about his continued growth.”
Leave a Comment