Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis was carted off the field and taken to a local hospital on Saturday after suffering a leg injury in Week 12 against North Alabama.
Travis, one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates this season, had the Seminoles in position to make the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2015. Now, Florida State will be without its leader and best player for the remainder of the year.
- Jordan Travis stats 2023: 2,735 passing yards, 20-2 TD-INT, 155.2 QB rating, 64.1% completion rate, 8.5 yards per attempt, 160 rush yards, 7 rushing touchdowns
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Late in the first quarter with the Seminoles trailing 13-0, Travis kept the football on first down and ran downfield. Shortly after clearing the first-down marker, the Florida State star was taken down on what seemed to be a hip-drop tackle, with his leg caught underneath the tackling defender.
As reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Travis was carted off the field with his leg in an air cast. A few minutes later, he was transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital.
Junior quarterback Tate Rodemaker took over as the Seminoles’ quarterback. Entering Saturday night, the 6-foot-4 passer had attempted just 70 career passes across four seasons with Florida State, posting a 61.4 percent completion rate with a 5-5 TD-INT line and a 136.7 QB rating.
- Jordan Travis career stats: 8,694 passing yards, 66-20 TD-INT, 150.8 QB rating, 62.1% completion rate, 1,945 rushing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns
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Travis’s injury left a raucous crowd at Doak Campbell Stadium in complete silence, with Seminoles’ players also devastated by the loss of their captain and the driving force of the offense. Florida State has rallied since the two-score deficit, with its defense recording a fumble and three-and-out that the Seminoles’ offense turned into two touchdowns. Late in the second quarter, Florida State took the lead 17-13.
While the Seminoles might escape Saturday with a victory over North Alabama (3-7), the ramifications of Travis’ injury are devastating for both the program and quarterback. Florida State faces the Florida Gators in Week 13 before closing out the regular season in the ACC Championship Game against No. 10 Louisville.
As for Travis, this is the end of his collegiate career. The 23-year-old was one of the best quarterbacks in college football season and had turned in one of the best two-season stretches of any player across the ACC. Before the injury, he was projected to be a Day 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.