As the Florida State contingent heads to Charlotte,
North Carolina for the ACC Kickoff media event on Wednesday, the group is
preparing for their 15 minutes of fame.
They are getting their mind right, preparing to trudge
through the “car wash” and battle the media onslaught of interviews and
questions, both on radio row and coach Mike Norvell’s appearance at the podium.
Norvell is bringing with him a trio of his players: Quarterback Ashton Daniels, receiver
Duce Robinson and defensive back Ja’Bril Rawls.
Rawls is back for his fourth campaign with the
Seminoles, but has failed to play a full slate of games during his time in
Tallahassee. He has missed 15 games over the past three seasons. So, it is
imperative that Rawls stays on the field, stays healthy and does his job to
help lead the Seminoles to victory. Rawls will be looked upon as a leader in
the Seminoles defensive secondary.
Duce, Ja’Bril & Ashton will represent the Garnet & Gold in Charlotte on July 15
🔗 https://t.co/GDADpvYV0e#NoleFamily | #ACCKickoffpic.twitter.com/qsWY91cY72
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) June 24, 2026
Last season, Rawls posted 40 tackles, intercepted one
pass, recovered a fumble, collected two tackles for loss and broke up two
passes. The talented defender is highly regarded, as evidenced by Phil Steele
naming Rawls to his second-team preseason All-ACC team.
Against Virginia in 2025, Rawls displayed his defensive
skills by posting 11 total tackles and an interception (one of three passing
takeaways) in a losing effort.
What kind of questions might Rawls be asked as he navigates
his way through the media scrums in Charlotte? Here’s one.
Ja’bril, how can you and the Seminoles secondary get
better at challenging receivers and cause disruption in the opponent’s passing
game?
Rawls will lead a unit that will look to improve on
their No. 28 FBS ranking in pass defense (190 yards/game) from last season, and
their 12 interceptions.
But what is a glaring concern is the number of pass
breakups turned in by the Seminoles last season. As a unit, Florida State collected
just 24 pass breakups during the 2025 season against 36 passes defended. That
was bad enough for No. 133 in the FBS. By comparison, ACC foes SMU, Clemson and
Virginia were ranked in the top ten in that category.
Florida State will be counting on Rawls to make plays
and be a disruptive force on the field. With the talent that the Seminoles have
on defense, Rawls should be fired up and ready to storm out of the tunnel, as Chief
Osceola plants the spear to signal that a new season of college football has dawned in Tallahassee.
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