Notre Dame Will Be Prepared For Both Florida State Quarterbacks

Notre Dame will be prepared for both Florida State quarterbacks, but Jordan Travis is the more dangerous player

Florida State hasn’t named a quarterback for its opener against Notre Dame on Sunday.

The Seminoles have listed Jordan Travis, a 6-1, 210-pound redshirt sophomore and McKenzie Milton, a 5-11, 190-pound senior as their dual starters.

The ambiguity means the Irish will have to prepare for two quarterbacks. It also could mean that FSU doesn’t have a long term answer at that position, which isn’t ideal for a team to start the season.

Milton’s back story is interesting.

Florida State is hoping that he can recover from a horrific injury and return to his 2017 form, when he led UCF to a 13-0 record while passing for 4,037 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Milton is a graduate transfer from the University of Central Florida, but he hasn't played a live football game since 2018 when he dislocated his right knee against South Florida in the last regular season game of the year. Milton suffered damage to his nerves and arteries in his right knee, which required multiple surgeries. Doctors had to take a vein out of his left leg and put it in his right leg to give him a chance for a recovery. His surgeon was just hoping he’d be able to walk again without pain, according to a story in the Orlando Sentinel.

Milton astonished them with a complete recovery. He transferred to the Seminoles for a fresh start after not playing in a game in 2019 or 2020 for UCF.

Travis won the job last year, beating out James Blackman, who has since transferred to Arkansas State and Tate Rodemaker, a redshirt sophomore. Travis is a dual-threat player that is dangerous with his legs. He completed 72 of 156 passes for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns last season but led the offense with 559 yards and seven touchdowns on 97 carries.

Against Notre Dame, Travis completed 13 of 24 passes for 204 yards with an interception in a 42-26 loss. Travis rushed for 96 yards on 19 carries, finishing with a touchdown on the ground and through the air.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly hinted that Travis is their main concern though he did mention preparing for Milton. Perhaps that’s because they are familiar with Travis already.

“I will tell you that from our perspective, (Florida State is) a team that we got a chance to see last year and earned a lot of respect for them, especially Jordan Travis,” Kelly said. “I think the way he played against us, his toughness, his grit … he's an extremely talented offensive player who can run the football. He can get the ball and push it downfield to some talented wide receivers.”

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