Florida State football had a wonderful 2023 campaign that included an undefeated regular season and a conference championship. That squad will unfortunately be remembered by the College Football Committee snubbing them in favor of a one-loss Alabama Crimson Tide team.
It is something that haunted the Seminoles and their fan base because Florida State was extremely talented. The committee blamed the snub on the fact that superstar quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury and the Seminoles not looking as dominant.
It was a big blow to what Florida State head football coach Mike Norvell built around Travis. The Seminoles certainly had a squad that could have competed at a high level in the "invitational".
Florida State football took on the angry Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl where many Seminole players opted out due to frustrations of being left out and the fact that the bowl game itself was meaningless because the committee had diminished everything that they had accomplished.
One of the players who opted out of the bowl game (rightfully so) was the defensive end Jared Verse. The talented pass rusher ended up being selected in the first round by the Los Angeles Rams. Verse ended up winning Defensive Rookie of the Year where he recorded 72 total tackles (11 for loss) and 6.5 sacks during the 2024 season.
The Rams were thought to be in "rebuild mode" after legendary defensive lineman Aaron Donald announced his retirement. However, Verse and Braden Fiske were a tremendous rookie duo that caused havoc on opposing offenses.
The Seminole connection doesn't stop there, as the Defensive Rookie of the Year always shows where he went to college for the past two years: Florida State. Verse always tries to make trips to Tallahassee. He was courtside with former football players Amari Gainer, Jordan Travis, and Trey Benson at the Seminoles' men's basketball game versus Miami.
Legends in the building for tonight’s rivalry showdown. #NoleFamily runs deep! 🍢 pic.twitter.com/kBJVDfsGUH
— Florida State Men’s Basketball (@FSUHoops) February 20, 2025
While he was in town, he also had to get redemption at the Florida State baseball game versus Penn on Friday night. The last time he threw the first pitch at the baseball game, the baseball went straight to the dirt and didn't stand a chance. However, this time, it went a little differently.
Today, redemption is spelled J-A-R-E-D@JaredVerse1 #NoleFamily pic.twitter.com/LTElPCyhCy
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) February 21, 2025
Verse completed the redemption story...
It looks like we need to see that race versus former Florida State and current Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson since Verse claimed that he was faster than his former roommate.
Anyway, it is great to see former Seminoles in Tallahassee!