GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 25: Florida State Seminoles quarterback Tate Rodemaker (18) before the game between the Florida Gators and the Florida State Seminoles on November 25, 2023 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field in Gainesville, Fl.
Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Florida State Unexpectedly Loses Starting Quarterback Days Before Orange Bowl

The transfer portal in college football never stops, including on Christmas Day, when we learned that Florida State quarterback Tate Rodemaker is leaving the program and entering the portal.

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As you may know, Rodemaker became the Seminoles' starting quarterback following Jordan Travis' gruesome leg injury against North Alabama in Week 12. Since then, he completed 25 of 48 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns. Rodemaker started his college career at Florida State in 2020, and from then until now he's completed 68 of 119 passes (57.1%) for 901 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He didn't play in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game against Louisville due to a concussion. Instead, Brock Glenn led the team, completing a mere eight of 21 passes for 55 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

"This decision to enter the portal was incredibly difficult," a source close to Rodemaker's family told 247Sports. "However, with the unforgiving nature of the calendar relative to transfer portal players and bowl games and limited opportunities remaining for transfer quarterbacks, the family felt this move was in Tate's best interest. Florida State has quite publicly recruited multiple quarterbacks in this transfer cycle, so Tate and his family reluctantly came to the decision that now was the time to move on."

Despite being 13-0, Florida State famously missed reaching the College Football Playoff as a result of Jordan Travis' injury. They lost out to the one-loss Alabama Crimson Tide, who won the Southeastern Conference championship.

Now, the Seminoles will take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Seminoles are 17-point underdogs in that matchup, which is set for 4:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 30.

With Rodemaker entering the portal and Travis entering the NFL, we'll look to see who the new signal-caller will be for coach Mike Norvell's Seminoles in 2024.

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