Former Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels commits to Florida State

Former Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels has committed to Florida State, according to On3’s Pete Nakos and Hayes Fawcett. Daniels holds just one more year of eligibility after taking a redshirt in 2025. Head coach Mike Norvell hopes everyone involved can make the most of Daniels’ final run.

After Tommy Castellanos declared for the NFL Draft, Florida State knew they were going into the NCAA transfer portal for a quarterback. Daniels was one of the few interested in joining the Seminoles. Another one was former Florida and Five-Star Plus+ prospect DJ Lagway. But the news of Daniels committing came on the same day as Lagway’s visit to Tallahassee.

Daniels played in four games for Auburn this past season, taking over as the starter under now-former head coach Hugh Freeze and eventually interim DJ Durkin. He threw for 797 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. The quarterback run game became a big part of the offense as well. There, Daniels rushed for 280 yards and two touchdowns on 63 carries.

Heading into Auburn’s penultimate contest of the season vs. Mercer, a decision had to be made. Daniels was sitting on three games played, meaning taking the field in the final two would get rid of his eligibility. Of those, the Iron Bowl was valued as the more important one. So, the Tigers sat Daniels in favor of true freshman Duece Knight, who is also currently in the transfer portal.

“I think the best thing for Ashton is to be able to preserve his redshirt year and be able to come back and play another year,” Durkin said of the decision. “I think it’s tremendous for this program, and also for him. I think he has great football ahead of him. And so, we are going to do that. He will not play in this game so that he can keep that redshirt year.”

Auburn went on to hire Alex Golesh to be the program’s next head coach. Multiple quarterbacks left the Plains, including Daniels. Florida State will be thankful Daniels and Durkin decided to hold him out of the Mercer game to keep him eligible for the 2026 season.

Norvell has an important season ahead, wanting to improve upon the 5-7 record. Another monster portal class is expected to be the driving force behind the 2026 roster. Ashton Daniels might end up highlighting the whole bunch, especially if he takes the field first for the Aug. 29 opener vs. New Mexico.