FSU football: Could Jordan Travis progress like Lamar Jackson?
By Kelvin Hunt
I want to get this out of the way right off of the bat. No, I’m not trying to say Jordan Travis will morph into Lamar Jackson and win the Heisman Trophy in 2021.
If you’re a frequent reader of the site, you know I don’t throw things out there without backing it up with data.
Jordan Travis and Lamar Jackson have a ton of similarities. Both players had Bobby Petrino recruit them and sign to play at Louisville as three-star dual-threat quarterbacks.
Both players won the Lou Groza Player of the Year award while playing high school football in Florida.
Both guys had moments where they flashed as inexperienced players on the field early in their college careers.
I know most people remember Jackson as the guy that torched everyone in 2016(including FSU) en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.
However, in 2015, Jackson had a lot of the same issues that plagued Jordan Travis in 2021. He was inaccurate in the passing game and did most of his damage with his legs.
The Jackson we saw in 2016 still had a lot of the same issues, and the stats will reflect that sentiment. As I began to look at the numbers Jordan Travis put up in 2020, I began to wonder what was possible for him in 2021.
After all, Travis didn’t have an offseason and barely practiced in fall camp before assuming the starting quarterback position mid-way through the Jacksonville State game in 2020.
That would be similar to Lamar Jackson not enrolling early and starting games as a freshman in 2015
The numbers are scary close.