FSU Spring Position Preview: Quarterback
Spring practice is just around the corner and expectations are sky-high in Tallahassee after head coach Mike Norvell delivered a ten-win season in 2022. A lot of that hope is riding on the veteran experience Florida State returns across the roster, including at quarterback with redshirt senior Jordan Travis.
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The star signal-caller is entering his fifth season at Florida State and fourth under the guide of Norvell. He's coming off a campaign where he proved himself to be one of the top quarterbacks in the country and Travis could make a run at the Heisman during his final year at the college level.
Outside of Travis, the Seminoles are bringing back their other two scholarship quarterbacks from last season - Tate Rodemaker and AJ Duffy - while adding an interesting prospect - Brock Glenn - into the mix.
Departures:
N/A
Returnees:
Redshirt senior Jordan Travis, redshirt junior Tate Rodemaker, redshirt freshman AJ Duffy
Florida State returns 3,492 passing yards (99.4%), 28 touchdown passes (96.4%), and seven interceptions (100%) from last season.
New Additions:
Three-star Brock Glenn
Glenn completed 74/126 passes (58.7%) for 1,413 passing yards with 18 touchdown passes to three interceptions as a senior at Lausanne Collegiate High School. He also rushed 45 times for a career-high 443 yards with seven scores on the ground.
Projected Depth Chart:
1. Jordan Travis
2. Tate Rodemaker
3. AJ Duffy/Brock Glenn
Travis is Florida State's unquestioned starting quarterback for the second consecutive year. Last year, there were concerns about the depth of the room but those were squashed by Tate Rodemaker during the comeback win against Louisville. Redshirt freshman AJ Duffy and true freshman Brock Glenn will look to push Rodemaker for the No. 2 spot while displaying their potential for the future.
Spring Outlook:
There's no question who the leader of this room is with Travis back once again. He's coming off a season where he proved all of the naysayers and analysts wrong while displaying elite ability as a passer. Travis completed 226/353 passes (64%) for 3,214 yards with 24 touchdowns to five interceptions. He also added 417 yards and seven more scores on the ground, keeping his ability as a dual threat while slightly decreasing his usage from the previous two years. PFF ended up ranking him as the No. 1 overall quarterback in P5.
Arguably, one of the most important aspects that Travis brought to the team in 2022 was durability. He started every single game for the Seminoles and was only forced to miss part of one contest (Louisville) after getting rolled up on awkwardly during a tackle attempt. Travis has developed at an unparalleled level throughout his college career and there's still more to add to his toolbelt. FSU will have to find the balance between pushing Travis and also keeping him out of harm's way.
Luckily, there are three other signal-callers on the roster who are jockeying for the backup job in redshirt junior Tate Rodemaker, redshirt freshman AJ Duffy, and true freshman Brock Glenn. This will also give the coaching staff an ample look at all three quarterbacks and test them in different situations to begin looking at the future once Travis moves on after the fall.
Rodemaker was forced into action against Louisville after Travis went down with an injury. He looked shaky during his first drive of the game but came out of the half and led Florida State to a comeback victory. Rodemaker completed 6/10 passes for 109 yards with two touchdowns to one interception as the Seminoles escaped with a 35-31 win. All in all, he appeared in a career-high seven games and proved himself as a steady reliever behind Travis.
The next step for Duffy is anticipated to be a legitimate push to unseat Rodemaker as the primary backup. The former four-star prospect redshirted last season and spent his time learning the system while watching how Travis operates. Duffy will need to elevate his game or he risks getting caught up in the pecking order behind Rodemaker and Glenn. He's coming off a disappointing first year with the program where it didn't feel like he was always totally engaged at practice. That led to him appearing in three games and completing 2/7 passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.
Glenn flipped to the Seminoles from Ohio State late in the recruiting cycle and is already with the program to go through offseason conditioning and spring practice. He doesn't have elite size by any means but does possess intriguing athleticism, a strong arm, and a lunchpail mentality. Quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz has a lot to mold with Glenn over the coming year.
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