FSU Football: Waiting game on Jordan Travis eligibility an annoyance

FSU football still doesn’t know from the NCAA whether the transfer quarterback from Louisville will be able to suit up for the Seminoles this season.

It’s been nearly four months since the FSU football team found out that Jordan Travis, who played three games as a quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals last season, was going to be transferring into Tallahassee and the native of the West Palm Beach area was going to be in the conversation for the signal caller spot in 2019.

How far that conversation was going to go would be determined by our good friends over at the NCAA – a group that has always been fair and balanced and timely when it comes to decisions – and whether or not the governing body of college sports was going to approve a transfer waiver that would allow Travis to be eligible for the 2019 season.

Nearly four months later, FSU football is still waiting on the answer – all in the time where Travis has fully taken part in spring drills and even impressed many in garnet and gold with his output during last weekend’s spring football game.

Florida State Seminoles Football

At the same time, our rivals down in Coral Gables were able to get their transfer quarterback Tate Martell – who left Ohio State for Miami essentially because he was afraid of competition once the Buckeyes got transfer quarterback Justin Fields and OSU realized they didn’t need him – approved in a period of time that lasted just two months from transfer to acceptance.

Now, we don’t know all the reasons for the hold up – in Martell’s case, the NCAA said Ohio State not standing in the way made a big deal so we don’t know if maybe ACC Atlantic foe Louisville may be holding things up or not – but the waiting game is becoming a problem for the Seminoles.

While it’s not an obvious on field problem now that the summer offseason has started, it is a growing annoyance for the fact that FSU football at this point doesn’t know what the quarterback room will officially look like.

If Travis does get the approval, it gives the Noles some more breathing room if you have him along with James Blackman (the likely starter) and graduate transfer Alex Hornibrook coming in from Wisconsin this summer along with walk on Nolan McDonald and others – translation being the Seminoles will have plenty of options.

If Travis is denied and is gone for a season, you lose not just one of those options but someone who has spent an entire spring going through drills with the 2019 Seminoles – and with all due respect to a three year Power Five starter like Hornibrook, he’s already going to have to learn a new system that Travis seems to have down enough to be a quality backup in 2019.

The biggest problem isn’t so much whether Hornibrook or Travis is the other option along with Blackman right now – it’s the not knowing that has an effect on FSU football. Every single day, we get one day closer to the opener against Boise State – and each day, we still don’t know if the man who wore No. 13 last week will be able to play.

At this point, the Seminoles are best served by a decision just being made – of course we want Travis to get his wavier approved, but at this point something just needs to be figured out so FSU football can know how to plan for the summer, fall practice and the season opener against the Broncos.

Of course, with our good friends running the show, there is a decent chance we may find out in time for the Alabama State game on November 16th at this rate.