Florida State arrives in South Florida ahead of Orange Bowl
FORT LAUDERDALE - Florida State is set to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl this weekend.
Sunday evening, the Seminoles arrived in Fort Lauderdale.
Coach Mike Norvell said he's excited to be in South Florida and that his team overcame a lot of adversity to make it to this point, managing to go 13-0 for the season and wind up ACC champions.
It's no secret though that if it was up to FSU they wouldn't be playing in this Orange Bowl but rather be in the playoffs.
While FSU had a perfect season, the College Football Playoff committee decided because of the strength of their schedule and the fact that their star quarterback was injured to pick Alabama to be in the playoffs instead.
Norvell said morale among the team was good despite knowing they'd rather be somewhere else.
"Well, I mean, the guys are excited for the opportunity to compete and that's what we have, you know, doing it against a great opponent in one that's been, you know, the benchmark of the best college football the last three years. And ultimately, I mean, that's what we have in front of us. We've had really good bowl practices leading up, and you know, I'm excited to see the guys prepare and the opportunity there for Saturday to push to be our best."
At least a dozen players are choosing to sit out of the game to enter the NFL draft instead. Norvell said he's had conversations with players making that decision.
"It's about the players that are here, and, you know, the work that they've put in. I'm grateful for every player that we have, and, you know, life is full of choices. These guys, they, you know, like i said, this last month has been really challenging, you know, coming off the championship game, you know, a lot of emotion, you know, the guys are having to make tough and challenging decisions. But the guys that are here, I know, we're excited about it," he said.
One of the players who opted out of the game was quarterback Tate Rodemaker. Brock Glenn will start instead.
247Sports and The Athletic reported that Rodemaker intends to enter the transfer portal.
Norvell said spoke of Glenn's looming start after getting off the plane.
"Definitely excited to see him take the step from his first start to his second start," Norvell said. "A lot of confidence in what he'll be able to do, what he'll be able to accomplish. It's part of the new age of college athletics. I know Brock is going to be fired up and excited for the opportunity that he has."
A redshirt junior quarterback, Rodemaker stepped in for injured Jordan Travis on Nov. 18 to guide Florida State to a win over North Alabama. A week later, he led Florida State to a victory at Florida. In 2023, Rodemaker completed 32 of 56 passes for 510 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.
Glenn has completed 10 of 25 passes for 90 yards this season, starting for the Seminoles against Louisville in the ACC championship game. Early enrollee Luke Kromenhoek, who signed on Wednesday, is also set to join the team for bowl practices.
Florida State will be shorthanded for the bowl game. Running back Trey Benson, wide receiver Johnny Wilson and defensive end Jared Verse have all entered the NFL draft early and opted out. Tight end Jaheim Bell and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett are entering the draft but have not clarified if they will play in the bowl game.
