Rodemaker's Road: Getting To Know FSU's New Starting QB For The Remainder Of 2023 Season
The Seminoles are rightfully reeling after starting quarterback Jordan Travis was likely lost for the remainder of the season with a leg injury that he suffered against North Alabama. However, Florida State will have to be prepared to play an emotional rivalry game in Gainesville in less than a week with a trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship also right around the corner.
With one of the top quarterbacks in the country and the leader of the locker room out of the lineup, FSU still has a lot to play for. The Seminoles are 11-0, ranked No. 5 in the country, and can still navigate their way into the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2014 depending on how the next couple of weeks unfold.
The program will probably be handing the reins of the offense over to redshirt junior quarterback Tate Rodemaker. The veteran was forced into action earlier than expected on Saturday after stepping in for Florida State during the aftermath of Travis going down. Rodemaker steadied the team by completing 13/23 passes for a career-high 217 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions as the Seminoles scored 58 consecutive points to fight out of a 13-0 deficit.
"I thought he was great. There was a few mistakes, a few things that you could tell everything was rolling for him, but he has been preparing all season," Norvell said after the game. "You talk about it. A few weeks ago in my office we had a one-on-one just talking about being prepared in case the moment ever calls for you. Tate does a great job in his preparation. He's a wonderful teammate."
"Our guys have a lot of confidence in Tate because they watch him practice every day. They know the talent. They know the ability," Norvell continued. "I think that was something that was really impressive to me because he never seemed rattled in the moment. He knew he was prepared and ready, and that's what you have to do at every position, but obviously, the quarterback position gets magnified to the elite level. I thought he did a wonderful job. He went out there, and I thought played really well."
Rodemaker is in the midst of his fourth season in Tallahassee but he's flown under the radar for the most part while spending the majority of his time backing up Travis. What do Florida State fans need to know about the signal-caller who is going to be under the spotlight for the rest of the year?
— Peach State Product Lands At FSU After Flipping From USF
When Mike Norvell arrived in Tallahassee ahead of the 2020 Early Signing Period, FSU was coming off a stretch where the program failed to sign a quarterback in 2018 and 2019. Norvell went right to work in flipping that aspect, offering three-star prospect Tate Rodemaker just one week before pens went to paper.
Two days later, Rodemaker flipped his commitment to the Seminoles from USF to become Norvell's first pledge in Tallahassee. He signed with the program after putting together a prolific prep career less than two hours down the road for Valdosta High School.
During his two years as the Wildcats' starting quarterback, Rodemaker completed 442/684 passes (68.9%) for 6,764 yards with 73 touchdowns to 20 interceptions. As a senior, he led Valdosta to the third-round of the AAAAAA Georgia State Playoffs while being named GACA Player of the Year. Rodemaker played alongside current FSU tight end Jaheim Bell, who totaled 62 catches for 980 yards and a touchdown from 2018-19.
When he joined the Seminoles as a member of #Tribe20, Rodemaker was one of two quarterbacks in the fold alongside four-star prospect Chubba Purdy.
— Rodemaker's First Start Doesn't Go As Planned, Struggles During First Two Years With Program
With James Blackman struggling out of the gate and Purdy sidelined due to a preseason injury, Rodemaker was thrust into action for his first career start against Jacksonville State on October 3, 2020. At the time, the Seminoles were 0-2 after being upset by Georgia Tech and being blown out by Miami without Mike Norvell, who was sidelined due to COVID-19.
The day didn't go as Rodemaker planned as FSU fell behind the Gamecocks 17-0. He threw a pick-six on the first possession as the Seminoles went scoreless on four consecutive drives to begin the game. Rodemaker was eventually replaced by the relatively unknown Jordan Travis at the time, who guided the team back from the deficit to avoid a shocking defeat.
Following that contest, he was relegated to reserve duty for most of the next two seasons, making sparse cameos against North Carolina State and Florida. Coupled with inconsistencies in practice, his 18/31 passing for 127 yards and three interceptions over 2020-21 didn't inspire a ton of confidence for his future with the program.
That all changed with one signature moment.
— Breaking The Glass Ceiling: Rodemaker Leads Seminoles Back On Road
The comeback victory against North Alabama wasn't the first time in his college career that Rodemaker has brought the Seminoles back from a deficit. Last season, Florida State traveled to Louisville for its ACC opener after taking down LSU in New Orleans. Hype was beginning to build in Tallahassee and a win over the Cardinals would cement the direction that the season was going to trend.
FSU was locked up in a battle with Louisville, trailing by a touchdown in the final minutes of the first half. While trying to scramble away from a defender, Travis was rolled up on by YaYa Diaby and ended up exiting the game due to an ankle injury. Trailing in a hostile environment, Rodemaker was thrown into the fire with as one of two other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster along with true freshman AJ Duffy.
It wasn't pretty early as Rodemaker look rattled after tossing a bad interception on his drive. Going into the half, the Seminoles needed to figure something out or their undefeated start would be shattered a lot earlier than once anticipated.
Whatever the coaching staff said to Rodemaker during the break worked as he came out with a different fire in his eye. He completed 5/7 passes for 125 yards with two touchdowns and zero turnovers over the final two quarters. Some of the highlights included a 69-yard rope to Johnny Wilson and two touchdown connections with his massive wide receiver in the final quarter to pull out the win.
The moment effectively shattered the glass ceiling that seemed to be holding Rodemaker back. His uptick in confidence and belief was noticeable throughout the rest of the year and offseason.
— Eyes On The Prize: Early Look At Next Two Weeks For Tate
Seminole fans were already expecting Rodemaker to be among the favorites to replace Jordan Travis in 2024 along with Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek. He's been presented with an early opportunity to seize the job if he can guide Florida State to an undefeated regular season and a conference championship.
It will all start in Gainesville as the Seminoles look for their second consecutive victory against the Gators. The last time that FSU played Florida on the road, the program came up short in a frustrating game that held them out of the postseason in 2021. They'll be looking for revenge while trying to dish out the same fate to their bitter rivals, who enter the game 5-6 and on a four-game losing streak.
Florida may also be turning to a backup signal-caller after Graham Mertz suffered a non-displaced collarbone fracture in the loss to Missouri. Redshirt freshman Max Brown relieved Mertz after his injury, finishing 4/5 passes for 56 yards while rushing seven times for 42 yards. He led the Gators to two scoring drives but did have a crucial fumble that led to a touchdown for Missouri.
The Gators hold the No. 85 passing defense in the country with the team allowing 235.1 yards per game and 18 passing touchdowns on the season. Florida has forced 19 sacks while recording three interceptions on defense.
Louisville is 10-1 after taking down Miami to clench a berth in the ACC Championship for the first time since joining the conference. First-year head coach Jeff Brohm has the Cardinals in position for one of the best seasons in school history alongside grad-transfer quarterback Jack Plummer. The veteran who played for Brohm at Purdue has completed 197/301 passes (65.4%) for 2,710 yards with 19 touchdowns to ten interceptions.
The Cardinals have been slightly better when it comes to defending the pass than the Gators. Louisville is ranked No. 55 in the country after allowing an average of 219 yards per game and 13 touchdown passes. Their defense has racked up 28 sacks and 11 interceptions.
The most important thing moving forward is for Rodemaker to work within his own limits. He doesn't need to be Jordan Travis, he just needs to be himself.
"He just needs to be him," Norvell said. "Just because you're not a starter, which Tate, obviously he's behind one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but that doesn't mean that he hasn't been pushing and leading and doing everything that he could to show his teammates that if his number was going to be called that he was going to be ready. We've got to do a better job of helping him out, I think we had too many dropped balls. He threw a couple of just unbelievable passes."
During his career at Florida State, Rodemaker has completed 56/93 passes (60.2%) for 767 yards with seven touchdowns to five interceptions.
He's primed for the second start of his career in The Swamp. The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 25 and will be televised on ESPN.
READ MORE: How To Watch Florida State and North Alabama
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