Last season, the Florida State football program posted an undefeated regular season, capped by a gutsy win in the ACC Championship over the Louisville Cardinals. However, with a season-ending injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis and questions surrounding their offense, the Florida State Seminoles became the first Power Five team in the College Football era to miss the four-team playoff field despite an undefeated season and conference title.
In the wake of Travis’ brutal knee injury in mid-November, head coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles turned to longtime backup Tate Rodemaker. However, his tenure was short-lived, with a concussion sidelining him after just one start. Following the omission from the CFP, Rodemaker entered the transfer portal, leaving the quarterback room baren for their Orange Bowl clash against the Georgia Bulldogs. On Tuesday, the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles announced that Rodemaker will start in 2024.
Former Florida State QB Tate Rodemaker: Named Southern Miss Starter
According to 247Sports college football insider, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles will start former Florida State football signal-caller Tate Rodemaker in their season opener against the Kentucky Wildcats. Last year, Southern Miss finished with the second-worst record in the Sun Belt, going 3-9 with quarterback Billy Wiles under center. With Wiles transferring to Appalachian State and Rodemaker transferring to Southern Miss, head coach Will Hall will place the latter atop the quarterback depth chart.
Southern Miss is expected to name Florida State transfer Tate Rodemaker as its starting quarterback, sources tell @247Sports/@CBSSports.
Rodemaker threw for 510 yards with five touchdown passes and no interceptions at FSU last year. Southern Miss opens the season vs. Kentucky.… pic.twitter.com/Ot9GkYROvP
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) August 20, 2024
Last season’s backup, Ethan Crawford, will likely play behind Rodemaker, while transfer Shade Foster could also be in the mix. Crawford threw three touchdowns to no picks in 2023, while Foster is a redshirt freshman from Northwest Mississippi Community College.
Rodemaker: Longtime Backup with Florida State Football
Last season, his final with Florida State football, Rodemaker threw a career-high 56 passes for 510 yards, five touchdowns, and no picks. The six-foot-four passer threw for 217 yards and two scores in relief for an injured Jordan Travis against North Alabama. He also played turnover-free football in a win against the Florida Gators the following week.
Florida State Football: QB Depth Chart
With the loss of Tate Rodemaker to the transfer portal and Jordan Travis darting for the NFL, the Florida State football program will turn to former five-star prospect turned two-time transfer D.J. Uiagalelei to lead the offense next fall. Uiagalelei has thrown for 43 touchdowns against 14 picks across his past two seasons.
Meanwhile, the Florida State Seminoles will have Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek as backups to Uiagalelei. Glenn struggled mightily as a true freshman last year, completing only 37% of his passes. Kromenhoek will enter his first college football season and is a consensus four-star prospect.
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