Former Gators Defensive Back Outraged After Florida State Adds Florida to 'Sod Cemetery'

The Florida State tradition of their sod cemetery continued as they defeated Florida on the road, which upset one former Gator defensive back.

The Florida State Seminoles are state champions for the second consecutive season. However, defeating their top two rivals in 2023 was a little sweeter as the Seminoles were able to add turf from Gainesville to their sod cemetery for the first time in six years.

What is the sod cemetery? It's a tradition that the Seminoles have held since 1962 in which they cut sod from wins against higher-ranked opponents, a championship game of any sort, any postseason game, and wins against Florida on the road. 

Florida is already Florida State's biggest rivalry. If the matchup against their biggest rival wasn't enough, the Seminoles were playing without Jordan Travis, who suffered a gruesome leg injury over a week ago. Travis led the Seminoles to an 11-0 record before his injury.

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Playing in the first full game without Travis added to the emotion of the game, and Tate Rodemaker led the Seminoles to a 24-15 road victory. Of course, after the win, Trey Benson and Jared Verse had to cut some sod to add to the cemetery, something the team did in 2017 after their last win in Gainesville.

FSU players cut a chunk out of the field with scissors and took a picture with it after beating the Gators 24-15. Police eventually came over to stop the damage. #classy @InsideTheGators pic.twitter.com/yRikxTdNsc

— Talia Baia (@talia_baia) November 26, 2023

This, naturally, set off some Florida fans. It's not surprising for Gators fans to be upset by this, but acting as if it is new is just ignorant to the fact that it's been a Seminoles tradition for decades.

Among the Gators' viewers who were upset is former Florida defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The Detroit Lions defensive back posted his frustrations to social media.

"RESPECT THE TERRITORY! Every player that cut that Florida field never go on to have a successful career !!! Legends stepped on that field," Gardner-Johnson wrote. 

RESPECT THE TERRITORY! Every player that cut that Florida field never go on to have a successful career !!! Legends stepped on that field 💯 https://t.co/dFEQaiEANF

— C.J. Gardner-Johnson (@CGJXXIII) November 26, 2023

This post from Gardner-Johnson is ironic because he was on the field in 2017 when Florida State defeated the Gators 38-22 in Gainesville. The team back then cut sod from Florida's field and added it to the Sod Cemetery, which didn't seem to cause such an uproar.

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READ MORE: Florida State Seminoles Open As Slim Favorite In ACC Championship Against Louisville Cardinals

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