Aug 30, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Micahi Danzy (19) reacts after a play against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images
After a brief respite and a week of stress-free college football viewing, the Florida State Seminoles return to action this weekend, taking the field for the first time since its 77-3 demolition of East Texas A&M. The bye week offered Mike Norvell's squad a chance to reset and regroup after a fiery start, and the Seminoles find themselves on the other side of the break as one of the nation's hottest stories.
Once dismissed as a program spiraling toward college football's gutters, Florida State has suddenly become the darling child of the College Football world. Their No. 7 ranking in this week's AP poll is not only validation of this turnaround in praise. It marks the highest Week Three ranking for a team unranked in the preseason since the AP expanded to 25 teams in 1989.
Polls, projections, and playoff chatter already have the Seminoles firmly in the national title conversation, with whispers of rivalry rebirths and marquee matchups looming in the distance. It's certainly enough praise and forward-thinking to make one complacent. Despite the external noise, however, Norvell and his team continue to preach focus, particularly on this weekend's opponent.
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As FSU returns to the familiar confines of the refreshed Doak Campbell Stadium, the stage is set for another chance to climb up the AP poll, solidify themselves as a force to be reckoned with, and showcase their ability to be a national title contender.
Kent State, losers in four of its last five contests, arrives in Tallahassee desperate to play spoiler against a Seminole team still sharpening its edges. Nothing in college football is ever a certainty, regardless of what projection models, experts, and hypotheticals may have you believe otherwise.
Victory rests in the hands of those willing to do the work necessary to achieve it, and in the case of Florida State, it rests with those members of the roster looking to seize every moment.
With that in mind, let's take a look at three Seminoles who have not only caught our eye in the early throes of the season but could make a pivotal impact as the 'Noles square off with the Golden Flashes this Saturday.
A former consensus four-star prospect out of Miami, Lawayne McCoy was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school. As a member of the Class of 2024 recruiting cycle, McCoy was the 6th ranked ATH and the overall 18th best prospect in the state of Florida.
Given McCoy's proclivity for success at the high school level and his natural ability at the wide receiver position, it came as no surprise to the Florida State faithful when he began making an instant impact for the Seminoles.
McCoy joined the 'Noles prior to the 2024 season, and he quickly worked his way into the receiving corps. As a true freshman, he played in 10 games, wherein he logged six receptions for 52 yards, returned 10 punts for 30 yards and had a single one-yard rush. Standing at 6'1", 184-pounds, McCoy was a clear standout amidst a Florida State offense that struggled all-around.
Ahead of the 2025 season, he stood to take over a prominent role in a new-look offense, and the coaching staff was high on the impact he could have in his second year in Tallahassee. "Sometimes guys get categorized into positions and what they do, Lawayne's got a great skill set where he can really play any of the receiver spots," stated HC Mike Norvell.
However, an apparent lower leg injury kept the young receiver on the sideline for most of the offseason and unavailable for the first three weeks of Florida State's 2025 campaign.
Despite the setback, recent updates from the coaching staff have signaled a potential return for McCoy ahead of this weekend's match against Kent State. In his recent press conference, Norvell alluded to the young receiver's possible return: "He'll be available; he's still got to work himself back into full game shape."
The Florida State head coach provided further comment on McCoy's return to action, sharing that the versatile receiver scored a touchdown in practice throughout the week.
McCoy's return to the lineup is both a promising sign for the sophomore and good news for a receiving corps that has already been hit with the injury bug. We're eagerly looking forward to McCoy making his debut against the Golden Flashes, and even more intrigued by the role he'll play in Gus Malzahn's offense. As such, we'll be watching #15 in Doak on Saturday.
To say Micahi Danzy has burst onto the scene at the start of the 2025 season would be both a horrible pun and a criminal understatement. The 6'1", 189-pound speedster has been a key component of Florida State's new-look offense under Gus Malzahn.
Through two games, Danzy leads the Florida State rushing attack with 4 carries for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 32-yard breakaway run against Alabama. The speed, breakaway ability, and ball carrier vision aren't all that surprising for the former running back.
Rather, it's the sheer pace at which he has become such a core piece of the Florida State offense, especially considering the offseason he had, or lack thereof.
For those unaware, Micahi Danzy missed considerable time during the football offseason, specifically Spring Camp, running track for the Florida State Track & Field program. Not only was the true freshman running track following his brief five-game stint with the 2024 iteration of the Florida State Football team, but he was shattering records in the process.
As a true freshman, Danzy became the ACC champion in the indoor 400m after running a personal best, ACC, school and meet record time of 44.38. The young sprinter made first-team All-ACC in track as a true freshman and was the nation's 400m leader prior to the NCAA Track and Field championships.
At the time of writing this article, Danzy is listed as the world's 89th fastest runner in the event, though he was much higher prior to the 2025 Track & Field World Championships, which are in the midst of taking place right now.
Micahi Danzy eventually made his way back to football practice, but the time off was not the only inhibiting factor at play. In addition to missing the installation of Gus Malzahn's new scheme throughout Spring Camp, Danzy returned to the team to face a new challenge altogether: changing positions.
Recruited as a running back, Danzy was tasked with making the full-time switch to receiver ahead of the 2025 season. "It hasn't been completely new to him since I got here but you know when he's played running back his entire life there's a learning curve there with as much as we put on him," said WR coach Tim Harris Jr. back in July.
That's what makes Danzy's rise all the more remarkable. In just a handful of touches, he's proven capable of igniting momentum, turning what could have been a developmental, transitional year into an immediate breakout. For Florida State, his rapid acclimation means more than just having another weapon.
If Danzy continues to settle into his role this quickly, the Seminoles may have found the kind of dynamic playmaker who changes not only games but the entire complexion of their offensive identity moving forward, which is especially promising for the kind of changes expected from OC Gus Malzahn.
With every rep, he's growing more comfortable in Malzahn's scheme, and this Saturday offers another opportunity for the redshirt freshman to showcase how quickly he's become an indispensable piece of the Seminoles' offensive attack.
Ashlynd Barker, a 6'3" redshirt junior out of Columbus, Georgia, has had one of the more unique paths on Florida State's roster. Before arriving in Tallahassee, Barker began his college career at Iowa Western, redshirting his 2022 season and hitting the transfer portal soon thereafter.
Barker has since spent three seasons with the Seminoles, appearing in 25 contests and accumulating 37 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 INT as a reliable depth piece in the secondary.
That steady growth has culminated in a breakout start to the 2025 campaign. With Conrad Hussey's dismissal opening up playing time, Barker stepped into a much larger role in the secondary and has quickly proven himself as one of the defense's early standouts.
Through the opening weeks of the season, he has already registered 7 tackles (making him the third-leading tackler on the team) and 2 pass deflections. His instincts in coverage and willingness to come downhill in run support have made him the perfect person to complement DB Earl Little Jr. over the top.
Heading into the matchup against Kent State, Barker is firmly on the radar as a player to watch.
For a Seminole defense that prides itself on physicality and versatility, his emergence as a reliable coverage option remains pivotal, especially as DC Tony White's defense makes preparations for conference play. Kent State may not present the firepower of some of FSU's future opponents, but games like these are where rising contributors build confidence and rhythm.
If Barker continues to showcase the same blend of toughness and consistency, he positions himself as a mainstay in DB coach Pat Surtain's secondary for the rest of the season, and garners the attention of NFL scouts in the process.
Expectations have seemingly changed over night for the once troubled football program in Tallahassee. Media pundits and fans alike have been quick to lob postseason expectations at this 2-0 team in recent weeks, and those opinions have only grown louder with each passing week.
Just one year removed from a disastrous season, the Florida State Seminoles are now face-to-face with a different set of distractions.
The focus for Florida State has to be on taking care of business against Kent State. Saturday's contest is an opportunity to button up certain aspects of their game, dot those "i's", and cross those "t's" because conference play is right around the corner, and the road to the playoff remains an arduous one, no matter what you may believe.