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Five days before No. 3 Florida State faces No. 6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl matchup, its starting quarterback has opted out and decided he’s transferring.
Welcome to the age of the NCAA transfer portal in college football.
Many are going to blame Tate Rodemaker for the timing of the decision, made public Christmas Day.
Don’t.
The redshirt junior has remained loyal to the Seminoles for four seasons after being recruited out of Valdosta High in Valdosta, Georgia. Rodemaker, the son of a coach, Alan, made the best decision for himself and his career moving forward.
Florida State has flirted with bringing in other transfer quarterbacks this offseason for official visits in Washington State’s Cam Ward and Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei.
Both visited with the Seminoles and have one year of collegiate eligibility left, meaning they would not be coming to Tallahassee to sit behind Rodemaker.
Without saying it, Florida State’s coaching staff has given Rodemaker the notice they are ready to try someone else.
Florida State quarterback Tate Rodemaker, left, looks for a receiver as his is pressured by Florida safety Jordan Castell (14) during the first half of their game, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Gainesville, Fla.
Why should we blame Rodemaker for making the same decision?
It is a two-way street.
Why a move makes sense now for Rodemaker
Matt Zenitz of 247Sports first reported the transfer news Monday. The Tallahassee Democrat confirmed with Florida State that he would not play in the Orange Bowl.
Florida State coach Mike Norvell confirmed the news to the Miami Herald’s Andre Fernandez after landing in Fort Lauderdale Monday evening.
Tweets by FernandezAndreC
“This decision to enter the portal was incredibly difficult,” the source close to the Rodemaker family told 247Sports.
“However, with the unforgiving nature of the calendar relative to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-state-quarterback-tate-rodemaker-154456549.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2023-12-26 15:44:56
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