Kentucky will see former Florida State quarterback in Week 1

Will Hall is entering a big year four at Southern Miss. The head coach is 13-24 through three seasons and must replace a 4,000-yard rusher along with seven of the defense’s top eight tacklers. A reset year in Hattiesburg has arrived when this Sun Belt program needs wins. Hall will likely ask a high-profile quarterback transfer to take on a big role.

Florida State transfer Tate Rodemaker is expected to be named the starting quarterback at Southern Miss, according to a report from Matt Zenitz. The redshirt senior was a former three-star recruit out of Valdosta (Ga.) High who flipped from South Florida to Florida State.

Tate Rodemaker played in four games as a true freshman earning one start for head coach Mike Norvell in a 41-24 win over Jacksonville State. Rodemaker backed up Jordan Travis throughout his career. In 2022, Rodemaker replaced an injured Travis against Louisville completing six passes for 109 in the comeback victory. Following a season-ending injury to Travis in 2023, Rodemaker threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns against North Alabama before getting injured the next week in a start against Florida where Rodemaker threw for 134 yards.

The veteran brings over 900 career passing yards to Southern Miss and will be asked to be a playmaker for this re-tooling offense. Over the last two seasons, Tate Rodemaker helped lead Florida State to road victories over Louisville and Florida. The redshirt senior will look to continue that trend at Kroger Field on Labor Day weekend.

Early Scouting Report: Southern Miss (KSR+)

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