FSU football: Former Nole QB wins starting job at Group of Five school

Florida State football had an incredible 2023 campaign which featured an undefeated regular season and a conference championship. The Seminoles had it all come crashing down in front of them as superstar signal-caller Jordan Travis suffered a season-ending injury versus North Alabama on Senior Night.

As a result, Florida State relied on a four-year contributor Tate Rodemaker to come in relief. In today's landscape, it is rare to see college athletes stick around after one or two years of not seeing themselves on the correct path of being a starter. Most of them decide to enter the transfer portal (I understand the logistics of players wanting their opportunities).

Tate Rodemaker was a three-star quarterback prospect in head football coach Mike Norvell's first recruiting class when he arrived in Tallahassee. Ironically enough, four-star Chubba Purdy was the talking point of the quarterback position room in the recruiting class.

However, Rodemaker was a four-year starter at Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia where he had over 6,800 yards and 74 touchdowns. He was not just some developmental project. The signal-caller had an impressive skill set that the coaching staff liked.

During his appearance versus North Alabama, Rodemaker played well (as expected against a lesser opponent), completing 13 of his 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns. He then faced a much stiffer challenge as he traveled to Gainesville to take on the arch-rival Florida Gators where he completed 12 of his 25 passes for 134 yards.

Unfortunately, Rodemaker suffered an injury during the practice week of the ACC Championship Game versus Louisville and did not play. As a result, the Seminoles decided to start true freshman option Brock Glenn in his place.

Even after Florida State won the conference and secured a 13-0 record, Rodemaker announced that he would be entering the transfer portal. He eventually ended up transferring to Southern Miss.

On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that Rodemaker was announced as the starting quarterback for the Golden Eagles.

While I know that the former Florida State quarterback was not the biggest favorite of the fan base, I am genuinely happy for Rodemaker to get his opportunity to start. He waited so long in Tallahassee and waited his turn. It is bittersweet to see the Valdosta native get his chance to shine.

As I always say: "Once a Nole, always a Nole!"