Noles News: FSU athletics earn school-record APR for second year in a row

The Westcott Building at Florida State University during a hot summer day Wednesday, August 21 2024.

Baseball

Florida State pulled off another comeback on Tuesday, beating Jacksonville 5-2 in the Seminoles’ final midweek matchup of the season:

Dominance by Dowd 💪 pic.twitter.com/QnR1XDjQm1

— FSU Baseball (@FSUBaseball) May 6, 2026

Softball

Jazzy Francik was named the ACC Pitcher of the Week after she threw a no-hitter for the second time this season and finished the week holding batters to a .057 average, while Jaysoni Beachum was named the ACC Player of the Week by the conference as well. She hit .667 and has now had a hit in 42 consecutive games:

Beachum was a star in four games for the Seminoles this week. The Tallahassee native hit .667 (8-for-12) in four games this week with a home run and five RBI. Beachum tallied four doubles over the course of the week and extended her on-base streak to 42 games which is the third-longest streak in FSU history. This season, Beachum is hitting .404 with a eight home runs and a team-leading 59 RBI. Beachum has also drawn 47 walks and holds a.543 on-base percentage.

Francik was dominant all weekend for the Seminoles as the sophomore threw 11 scoreless innings and allowed just two hits in two wins against Boston College. Francik threw her fourth career no-hitter and her second no-hitter in a seven-day span on Friday against the Eagles. Francik recorded nine strikeouts in the 11 innings and surrendered just one walk. Francik is 20-2 this season with a team-leading 1.85 ERA in 128.2 innings.

Have we mentioned that Isa is also the best defender in the country👀👀👀👀

(check the stats😉)#Team43pic.twitter.com/5LuzmilAUH

— Florida State Softball 🥎 (@FSU_Softball) May 5, 2026

Football

ESPN broke down the offseason for each Power 4 team, ranking FSU’s ninth-best in the ACC:

What went wrong: Florida State avoided a coaching search by giving Norvell another year but still endured significant roster attrition this offseason. The Seminoles are returning only seven of the 24 players who started five-plus games in 2026 after losing eight starters to the portal and nine more to graduation. The secondary took a hit with the loss of Little (Ohio State) and Edwin Joseph (Ole Miss); linebacker Justin Cryer transferred to Texas; and two of Florida State’s top four pass catchers transferred within the conference, with receiver Lawayne McCoy going to Louisville and tight end Randy Pittman Jr. joining SMU. A total of 33 scholarship players exited via the portal this offseason. The Seminoles pursued a trio of transfer QBs in DJ Lagway, Anthony Colandrea and Daniels in January before signing Daniels, a former two-year starter at Stanford who made three starts at Auburn in 2025.

What went right: Norvell and his coaches put a bunch of promising freshmen on the field last season and were able to get them to re-up for 2026. Receiver Micahi Danzy, running back Ousmane Kromah and defensive tackle Kevin Wynn stayed put, and twin defensive linemen Mandrell Desir and Darryll Desir re-signed after briefly entering the portal. Keeping All-ACC wideout Duce Robinson out of the NFL draft also was a big win. The Seminoles added good experience around him with Texas’ Wisner and five new offensive linemen who bring 118 combined career starts. On defense, pass rusher Rylan Kennedy (Texas A&M), linebacker Chris Jones (Southern Miss) and several new defensive backs will have a chance to make an immediate impact.

What is the best tradition in ACC Football? 🤔🏈@EJManuel3 and @RoddyJones20 discuss: pic.twitter.com/IxumQFHPkt

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) May 5, 2026

NEWS: The American Football Coaches Association is recommending elimination of conference title games as part of a proposal to compress the season and conclude it by the second Monday in January, while also expanding the playoff field.

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) May 5, 2026

All Sports

FSU athletics hit an Academic Progress Rate of 993, hitting a school record for the second year in a row:

“Breaking our record APR for the second straight year is a direct testament to the hard work by our student-athletes and the support of the university and our academic staff,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford said. “Florida State continues to provide a complete experience as our student-athletes reach new heights in competition and in the classroom. A Florida State degree is among the most valuable in the country, and I’m proud of our student-athletes who continue to take advantage of all the opportunities and resources available to set a solid foundation for their future.”

Five programs earned a perfect 1,000 score over the four-year span concluding with the 2024-25 academic year, the second-highest total of perfect scores in department history. Women’s golf earned a perfect score for the 16th straight year, while women’s tennis earned its ninth straight perfect APR mark. Volleyball posted a perfect score for the fifth year in a row and seventh time in program history, and beach volleyball posted a perfect score for the third consecutive year and sixth time in program history. Softball had a perfect 1,000 for the second straight year and third time in program history.

Five additional programs earned a score of 990 or higher. Men’s swimming and diving posted a score of 997, while men’s tennis and women’s soccer both scored 994. Football earned a program-best score for the fourth straight report after scoring a 993. Football’s score ranked third in the ACC, with men’s swimming and diving and men’s tennis both posting the fifth-highest score in the conference for their sports.

Additionally, 12 sports posted a perfect single-year APR score for the 2024-25 academic year. Women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, softball, soccer, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and volleyball all earned a 1,000 score

ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜᴇʀ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ 📚

We recognize all of the teachers, professors and staff that have helped our student-athletes on their journey to Florida State#NoleFamilypic.twitter.com/PQKckR0c3M

— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) May 5, 2026

The New York Knicks will host Lajae Jones for a pre-draft workout, Ian Begley reported on X today.

Knicks will host Florida State’s Lajae Jones for a pre-draft workout today, per league sources. As a 6-7 wing, Jones is viewed as prospect with intriguing ‘3-&-D’ upside. pic.twitter.com/hyeXBllWsc

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 4, 2026

Florida State men’s head golf coach Trey Jones was selected to be the co-head coach for Team USA for the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup:

Jones, who is the co-head coach along with Laura Ianello of Texas, will lead the Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of international players.

Since its inception, over 250 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours; 46 have represented Europe/International or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 100 have claimed over 450 victories on the PGA, DP World, LPGA, or Ladies European Tours. The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 15-13-1.

The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and began at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla., in 1997.

Jones, who was selected to the 2025 GCAA Hall of Fame class in December of 2025 was an assistant coach for the event in 2025.

In his 23rd season at FSU, Jones serves as the director of golf for FSU’s men’s and women’s golf programs. The Seminoles have played in 19 consecutive NCAA Regionals and have qualified for the NCAA Championship for the past five seasons.

A three-time ACC Coach of the Year, Jones has led the team to 42 victories, 41 All-America selections, 12 GCAA All-America Scholar selections and eight Palmer Cup alumni.

Jones has led the Seminoles this season to a semifinal appearance in ACC match play.  As a team, FSU has finished in the top five in six tournaments this season, including a victory at the Seminole Intercollegiate and a runner-up finish at the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial.

Florida State will learn its regional draw on Wednesday at 2 p.m., when the NCAA Regional fields are announced live on the Golf Channel.

Alums & Friends 🍢

Thank you, @FSUBaseball for recognizing Coach Bond for tonight’s first pitch ⚾️ #NoleFamilypic.twitter.com/N97KfHAjaP

— FSU Golf (@FSUGolf) May 6, 2026