Five potential transfer quarterback options Florida State should monitor
After a packed Wednesday, Florida State suddenly has a depth issue at quarterback. Redshirt freshman signal-caller Chubba Purdy made his decision to enter the transfer portal yesterday after less than two years in Tallahassee. The move came out of the blue as it was expected that Purdy would enter the 2022 offseason with a legitimate opportunity to unseat Jordan Travis from the starting job. Instead, the Seminoles are left with three projected scholarship quarterbacks next season; Travis, Tate Rodemaker, and AJ Duffy.
READ MORE: Florida State quarterback has entered transfer portal
Under head coach Mike Norvell, this is a program that has thrived at bringing in transfers over the past two years. Jashaun Corbin, Jordan Wilson, Dillan Gibbons, Devontay Love-Taylor, Jermaine Johnson, Keir Thomas, Fabien Lovett, Jarrian Jones, Jammie Robinson, and more have all been added to the roster via the transfer portal. Even at quarterback, McKenzie Milton came in from UCF as a grad transfer. While things haven't necessarily worked out on the field, Milton has been invaluable to the team and locker room with his experience.
It wouldn't be surprising if the staff looks to the portal again to add depth at quarterback. Travis has missed multiple games during his career due to injuries, that's just the nature of having a scrambling quarterback. Behind him, Rodemaker and Duffy may not be developed enough to be viable options, it remains to be seen what kind of progress they will make in the spring and summer.
Here are five potential transfer quarterback options, some who are already in the portal, and a few who may decide to find a new home down the line.
Quarterbacks currently in the transfer portal:
1. Harrison Bailey, Tennessee
Bailey is at the top of the board right now, and for good reason, Florida State has already reached out to him since he entered the transfer portal on October 27. The Seminoles are among 22 teams that have shown an interest in Bailey early on.
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The Georgia native started three games in 2020 but was relegated to No. 3 on the depth chart under new Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. A former four-star prospect, there is clearly talent that has yet to be tapped out of Bailey's skillset. He finished his time in Knoxville by completing 68% of his passes for 594 yards with four touchdowns to two interceptions in six total appearances. Bailey is expected to have four years of eligibility remaining.
2. Myles Brennan, LSU
A relatively new addition to the transfer portal, Brennan elected to leave LSU earlier this week. He did not play in 2021 after suffering an arm injury during preseason practice. Prior to that, the Mississippi native was neck and neck with Max Johnson for the starting job. Brennan was limited to three starts in 2020 while dealing with torn abdominal muscles.
Brennan will be a grad transfer and a potential stop-gap option for Florida State. He recorded 1712 passing yards with 13 touchdowns to six interceptions while completing 60.2% of his passes during his career with the Tigers.
Quarterbacks that have yet to enter the transfer portal:
1. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
Let's get into the fun. The last three guys haven't officially entered the transfer portal but it wouldn't surprise anyone if they did to get fresh starts.
Coming into the season, everyone had Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler penciled to the NFL as a possible first-round pick. Instead, he's struggled enough to lose the starting job to redshirt freshman Caleb Williams, who has taken advantage of the opportunity. It's clear that Williams has overtaken Rattler at this point.
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While he could still decide to go pro, it may be smarter for the former five-star prospect to rebuild his value with a new program. Florida State could offer him a starting role on a rising team. At the same time, the coaching staff has to make sure that there will be no cultural issues.
While Rattler has multiple seasons of eligibility remaining, he will likely only spend one more season in college. The Arizona native came onto the scene as a redshirt freshman, putting up 3031 passing yards with 28 touchdowns to 7 interceptions in 11 games.
2. Anthony Richardson, Florida
What is going on in Gainesville? It's been obvious throughout the year that Anthony Richardson brings more potential to the Gators' offense than Emery Jones. Regardless, head coach Dan Mullen started Jones for the first seven games of the season while refusing to give Richardson the credit he was due.
The redshirt freshman replaced Jones in the close loss to LSU and made his first start against Georgia. During the loss to the Bulldogs, Richardson suffered a concussion and is questionable against South Carolina. He has shown the ability to be a dynamic dual-threat quarterback.
Richardson has completed 57.6% of his passes for 474 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He's also rushed 40 times for 374 yards and three more scores. Richardson would likely have three seasons to play if he elects to transfer and look for more stable playing time.
3. Dillon Gabriel, UCF
Florida State has already brought in one former UCF quarterback to Tallahassee, does anyone want round two? Dillon Gabriel has been entrenched as the starter in Orlando for the last two years and entered 2021 holding down the job. Unfortunately, he suffered a left clavicle injury on the final play of the Knights' loss to Louisville after just three games.
There hasn't been a timeline provided on his recovery but head coach Gus Malzahn has stated that Gabriel could potentially return before the season is over. There's no guarantee that he enters the transfer portal, but if so, he'll be one of the most highly sought-after players on the market.
The Hawaii native developed into the next star quarterback for UCF, following in the footsteps of Milton, who mentored him and is one of his best friends. Gabriel has totaled 8041 passing yards with 70 touchdowns to 14 interceptions during his three years with the Knights. If he returns to action in 2021, he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining, if not, he will technically have three years left.
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