Jordan Travis emerges as a very good QB for FSU football

1 – Jordan Travis could end up being a good one

At first it was, “Maybe that is the best option because the offensive line is not very good and he can at least avoid the pass rush.”

And then it was, “If the racing game is going to be the identity of this team, then it probably makes more sense to add their legs into the equation.”

After that, it was, “Well, the team seems to score more points when he’s at quarterback.”

Well, starting on Sunday, November 21, 2021, maybe it’s time to have a new talking point for the media and fans in Florida State. How about something like this:

Jordan Travis has grown into a very good college quarterback – one who could end up becoming a superstar for the Seminoles.

If you are having trouble pronouncing these words, then you must do yourself a favor and stop letting your premature judgment cloud your vision. Stop thinking about what you thought you knew about Travis in a 2020 season affected by COVID or in early 2021.

Instead, take an objective look at what Travis has been up to since becoming the Seminoles’ full-time quarterback earlier this season.

With FSU mired in a 0-4 start and looking at one of the worst seasons in school history, Travis got the nod against Syracuse on October 2. He scored three touchdowns that day and helped the Seminoles claim their first victory of the year with a winning drive in the last minute.

Including that game, Travis has now led FSU to a 5-1 record in his six starts since taking over from McKenzie Milton. And that one loss came to Clemson, in a game the Seminoles actually led with three minutes to go. (The only other loss for the FSU in the past eight Saturdays came when Travis was ill against NC State.)

Now I’ll be the first to recognize that quarterbacks don’t deserve all the credit or blame for wins and losses. FSU has also benefited from other positive developments during this period, including a healthier and more consistent offensive line and some staff changes in the defensive backfield, which led to a much improved pass defense.

But there might not be a more important position in any sport than the quarterback in today’s football, and I’m here to tell you that the State of Florida might have a good one in between. hands.

As my guy Charlton Young of the FSU men’s basketball team likes to say to skeptics about Leonard Hamilton’s program, “Don’t be upset. Read the data. “

In those six starts since taking the full-time job, here’s what Jordan Travis has done:

He completed 90 of 137 passes (66%) for 1,100 yards with 10 touchdowns and 1 interception. He racked up 396 yards and 5 touchdowns.

So in six games, your starting quarterback has racked up 1,496 yards of attack (249.3 yards per game) and 15 total TDs with one interception.

In fact, since the start of the season, Travis has only thrown two interceptions – one was on a Hail Mary in Wake Forest and the other was when a tight end missed a block on a screen at bubbles against Syracuse.

Travis’ other 144 passes since the first game have been picked up by a Seminole or by person.

So what you have right now is a guy who has 250 yards and 2.5 touchdowns per game without ever throwing the ball to the other team. And if you’ve been really careful, you’ve noticed how well he moves in the pocket to keep passes alive and constantly improve his touch on different passes.

Now imagine if he had a deeper, more talented receiving body to work with. And consider what that offense might look like when that offensive line is one more year old in 2022.

I can’t pretend to tell you how great Jordan Travis will be at the end of his career in the State of Florida. But I can absolutely tell you that it is already much bigger than most of us think.