What Tate Rodemaker entering transfer portal means for Florida State

Florida State received a Christmas surprise yesterday when quarterback Tate Rodemaker announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. On Tuesday, On3’s Pete Nakos revealed what the development means for Florida State.

“If Florida State is in the playoff and Jordan Travis is the starting quarterback, there’s a chance that Tate Rodemaker is even going in the portal right now, just so he has time to find the best home for himself,” Nakos told On3’s Andy Staples. “But, yeah, [it’s] maybe the best metaphor for what’s going on in this day and age of college football.”

“At the same time, Tate was going to go into the portal and now we have this situation. Georgia is gonna play Florida State and they’re gonna have Brock Glenn, the freshman.”

Rodemaker replaced starter Travis following his injury, leading the Seminoles in a win over the Florida Gators. However, he suffered a concussion in that game that forced him to miss the ACC Championship Game. 

With the Seminoles, Rodemaker played in 23 games over four seasons dating back to the 2020 season. He has a completion percentage of 57.6% for 901 yards and seven touchdowns. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Tate Rodemaker makes safe decision

Nakos believes Rodemaker’s decision is one of self-preservation, not pride.

“I remember before Jordan Travis got hurt, I was talking to some of the Warchant guys, and saying, ‘Who is the starter in 2024? Is he on campus or not?'” Staples said. “They said there was a good chance that Brock Glenn was the 2024 starter when all the dust settled.

“Now, I think we’ve seen them talking to Cam Ward, talking to DJ Uiagalelei; so maybe, maybe not. But, it certainly seemed like if Tate Rodemaker wanted to play, and he has one more year of eligibility, he was going to have to go somewhere.”

Glenn will do his best to deter other quarterbacks from joining the Seminoles next season. Norvell has named the freshman the starter in the Orange Bowl.

Before the ACC Championship, Glenn only had three appearances. In his limited minutes, he had two completions on four pass attempts for a total of 35 yards. In his first start, Glenn completed 8-of-his-21 pass attempts for 55 yards. He did not throw a touchdown and suffered four sacks.

While his performance didn’t break any records, it boosted his team to the win. He’ll look to do the same against another ranked opponent. FSU and Georgia will go head-to-head at 4 p.m. ET on Dec. 30 in the Orange Bowl. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.