FSU’s Travis now a legitimate Heisman contender
Break down the recordsetting career of Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis, and his last two wins at Wake Forest and Pitt are easy to look past.
Unless you’re Seminoles coach Mike Norvell.
“I think he showed himself as one of the best players in all of football,” Norvell said Monday.
Though the opponents’ records and lopsided victories won’t grab Heisman Trophy voters’ attention, the circumstances should.
Jordan Travis threw for a season-high 360 yards against Pitt despite the absence of FSU’s top two receivers.
One of FSU’s top receivers, Johnny Wilson, missed both games due to injury. The Seminoles’ other star receiver, Keon Coleman, sat out against Pitt. Two other receivers on the depth chart, costarter Destyn Hill and five-star freshman Hykeem Williams, couldn’t play at Wake Forest, while Lakewood High alumnus Deuce Spann was sidelined against the Panthers.
Even with all those injuries, Travis responded with his two most prolific games of the season. He passed for a season-high 359 yards against the Demon Deacons, then broke that mark by throwing for 360 at Pitt. He accounted for six touchdowns to help No. 4 FSU remain perfect heading into Saturday’s rivalry game against Miami (3:30 p.m. ABC).
“He’s so good at making the 10 other guys out there on the field around him better,” Norvell said. That’s evident by some of the seemingly mundane details of his performances. His first six completions at Pitt went to six different receivers. One of them, Darion Williamson, was making his first career start. Another, Ja’Khi Douglas, didn’t have a catch through the first seven games but has eight over the last two.
Their success isn’t all because of Travis, of course. The receivers deserve credit for being ready for their opportunity. Norvell and his staff recruited and developed well enough to shrug off the absence of two future early-round NFL draft picks, then came up with a game plan to win convincingly without them.
But Travis has proven his ability to spread the ball across his lineup — a sign of his maturity, experience and skill in dissecting a defense. His 19 touchdown passes this season have been caught by nine players. Of FSU’s three Heisman-winning quarterbacks, only one matches that kind of distribution:
Jameis Winston
(2013): 40 touchdown passes to 6 players
Chris Weinke (2000): 33 touchdown passes to 6 players
Charlie Ward (1993): 27 touchdown passes to 9 players
Travis’ development has drawn the attention of the Hurricanes. After playing against Travis three previous times, defensive back Te’Cory Couch said the quarterback’s running ability set him apart. But Couch has seen something different on film this season.
“He’s just been standing in the pocket making good passes this year, which is kind of different for him,” Couch said.
NORLAND’S HOWARD COMMITS TO FSU
Norvell added to his recruiting haul for the Class of 2024 with a verbal pledge Friday from fourstar cornerback Jamari Howard.
Howard, a senior at Miami Norland, is ranked in the 247Sports Composite as the No. 123 player in the nation, the No. 11 cornerback and No. 18 player in Florida.
He had verbally committed to Michigan State in September 2022 but reopened his recruitment on May 13. He chose FSU over the Spartans, Florida, Maryland and Rutgers.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder played at Hialeah Westland High as a junior and totaled 33 tackles, 15 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one interception and one punt return for a touchdown.
He transferred to Norland for his senior year and has 30 tackles, including one sack and eight tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception and one blocked kick in nine games.