Keon Coleman has opted out of the FSU football program and will enter the NFL Draft. Tate Rodemaker, a quarterback, is one of the 15 Seminoles listed in the transfer portal.
After a month of setback after setback, FSU was dealt yet another blow on Wednesday. Leading wide receiver Keon Coleman declared on his Instagram page that he will be entering the NFL Draft instead of finishing his senior year. He is just one of many FSU players who will not be participating in the Orange Bowl game on December 30, 4 p.m. (ESPN), versus Georgia.
For the Seminoles, not only has it been a difficult month, but Christmas hasn’t exactly been joyous either. On Christmas Day, quarterback Tate Rodemaker made his decision to use the NCAA transfer site public. As a result, Brock Glenn will start for the Seminoles in the Orange Bowl.
This month, legendary edge rusher Marvin Jones Jr. gave the Seminoles some positive news when he declared his intention to move from Georgia to FSU. His father was an FSU player from 1990 to 1992.
Given the season that the 6-foot-4, 215-pound player had after transferring from Michigan State, Coleman’s move isn’t that unexpected. As FSU romped to a 13-0 season, Coleman shared the spotlight with wide receiver Johnny Wilson with 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 catches.
“We gave it everything we had and, unfortunately, did not have the opportunity to prove that we were the best team in college football this year. I’m forever grateful for the fans, my coaches and my teammates who are now my lifelong brothers.”
The numbers on FSU’s roster have been falling like dominoes this month. Other Florida State stars like defensive end Jared Verse, running back Trey Benson, tight end Jaheim Bell, linebacker DJ Lundy, and safety Akeem Dent will also not play in the Orange Bowl. Lundy has already announced he has committed to play at Colorado.
Starting quarterback Jordan Travis was lost for the season with a lower leg injury with two games left in the season and FSU’s hope for a national championship were derailed when the College Football Playoff committee left the undefeated Seminoles out of the final four teams.
FSU is currently using the transfer portal to look for answers regarding the deaths of Travis and Rodemaker. Both former Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei (DJU) and former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward have visited Tallahassee. Neither player has chosen what to do.
Lundy signed up for the portal a week ago. FSU has had fifteen players access the portal thus far.
Furthermore, defensive end Patrick Payton is still nowhere to be shown on the portal, which suggests that he was just playing a bluff to increase his flexibility with NIL. But apparently, the ‘Noles aren’t going to budge from the number they previously settled on with Payton.
