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    • Overview of all the quarterbacks Mike Norvell has coached in his four seasons
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    Overview of all the quarterbacks Mike Norvell has coached in his four seasons

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    Mike Norvell, in his fourth season as head coach of Florida State’s American football team, has faced challenges developing quarterbacks.

    This season he is targeting transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.

    Entering Saturday’s home game against No. 25 Memphis, Uiagalelei has completed 40 of 69 passes (58%) for 465 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He is averaging 6.7 yards per completion with a long of 30 yards in FSU’s 0-2 start.

    Should Norvell make a quarterback change?

    Or can Uiagalelei regain the form that made him a sought-after player in January, replacing record-breaking Jordan Travis, now with the New York Jets?

    Given Norvell’s background as a former quarterback coach and offensive coordinator, and the fact that he identified and added players directly to FSU through the transfer portal, he’s likely to stick with the Oregon State transfer.

    “I really like his mentality and approach,” Norvell said earlier this week.

    “He has a lot of experience and understands how to play the game. He understands how to react to good things and obviously how to react to some of the challenges that have come up.

    “I think he has the right attitude and approach for what we need and what we need to continue to do as the attack grows.”

    How many Florida State quarterbacks played for Mike Norvell? What is Jordan Travis’ career record?

    Seven quarterbacks started at least once during Norvell’s tenure at FSU.

    Without Travis, Norvell is 3-9.

    Brock Glenn started against Louisville in last year’s ACC Championship, completing just 8 of 21 passes for 55 yards with no touchdowns. But he officiated the game in place of an injured Travis, who missed the season with a lower leg injury, and the Seminoles defeated the Cardinals 16-6 to finish the regular season at 13-0.

    In Norvell’s first season in 2020, Tate Rodemaker started in the Seminoles’ home win over Jacksonville State but was replaced early in the game by Jordan. He ended his Seminole career with an exclamation point in last year’s win over Florida in place of Jordan.

    Other quarterbacks who played under Norvell included James Blackman (0-2), McKenzie Milton (0-4) and Chuba Purdy (0-1).

    Blackman played the 2017-20 seasons at FSU before transferring to Arkansas State. He played just one season under Norvell. However, he made his 24th and 25th career starts with the Seminoles in season-opening losses to Georgia Tech and Miami before being replaced by Rodemaker.

    Rodemaker, a junior at Southern Mississippi, played four years (2020-23) at FSU, throwing for 901 yards and seven touchdowns. He became the third Seminole in program history to make his first or second career start at Florida — and the first to win — when he led FSU to a 24-15 victory over the Gators last year.

    Purdy also began his college career at FSU (2020-21) before transferring to Nebraska. In 2020, he became just the fifth true freshman in FSU history to start at quarterback, rushing for 181 yards and two scores in that start and loss at NC State.

    Milton, who returned to the field after a serious knee injury suffered in 2018, transferred from Central Florida to FSU for the 2021 season. He started four games and played in six during his one year at FSU, throwing for 775 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions.

    It’s clear that Travis, who considered moving to receiver after struggling early on with the Seminoles after transferring from Louisville, is the best quarterback Norvell has produced at FSU.

    In his four-year career, the electric Travis was 28-9 as a starter, including an undefeated run last year. He threw for 8,644 career passing yards and 65 touchdowns, tied for the second most in FSU history.

    Travis also holds career records for touchdown responsibility, total offense, quarterback rushing yards and quarterback rushing touchdowns. He is the only player in program history with 50-plus passing touchdowns and at least 12 rushing touchdowns.

    What can DJ Uiagalelei do to improve his game?

    While Uiagalelei is known for his size and arm strength, he has struggled with consistency. His mechanics and accuracy also struggled against Georgia Tech and Boston College. In fact, the home fans were disappointed with Uiagalelei’s performance against Boston College and began chanting Glenn’s name when FSU had the ball.

    To be fair, FSU’s veteran offensive line hasn’t played up to par, lacking physicality in run blocking and pass protection. Uiagalelei also needs to find a reliable receiver. Ja’Khi Douglas (8 receptions, 121 yards) and Malik Benson (7-72) lead the team in receptions and have been targeted 24 times.

    Despite his flaws, it may be too early to give up on Uiagalelei, even if he is one-and-done after this season. Uiagalelei still needs time to get used to Norvell’s offense and his timing, routes and pocket accuracy.

    Norvell should keep Uiagalelei as a starter for the time being.

    Will we see Brock Glenn play this season?

    There are no signs that Norvell plans to replace the quarterback.

    Glenn, who played in five games last year as a true freshman, showed potential. Known more for his mobility than his arm strength, he threw for 229 yards and had one rushing touchdown.

    Glenn is still developing as a passer and has not proven to be a better option than Uiagalelei. Putting him in a tough spot when the offense is struggling to run the ball, without reliable targets in the passing game, could hurt his development.

    However, it wouldn’t hurt Norvell to implement a two-quarterback system like he did early in his coaching career. It helped Travis find his feet when he eventually became FSU’s full-time starter.

    Due to his mobility, it may be wise to deploy Glenn in certain game packs.

    FSU Football Schedule 2024: TV Channels, Dates & Kick-off Times

    • Saturday August 24: vs. Georgia Tech* (Aer Lingus College Football Classic) Lost 24-21
    • Monday September 2: vs. Boston College* | 7:30 PM | ESPN (Fubo) Lost 28-13
    • Saturday September 7: Bye
    • Saturday September 14: vs. Memphis | Afternoon | ESPN (Fubo)
    • Saturday September 21: against Cal*
    • Saturday September 28: at SMU*
    • Saturday October 5: against No. 14 Clemson*
    • Saturday October 12: Bye
    • Friday October 18: at Duke* | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
    • Saturday October 26: at No. 19 Miami*
    • Saturday November 2nd: against North Carolina*
    • Saturday November 9: at #7 Notre Dame | 7:30pm | NBC (Fubo, Peacock)
    • Saturday November 23: against Charleston South
    • Saturday November 30: against Florida
    • Saturday December 6: ACC Championship Game (Charlotte, NC)

    All times Eastern

    BOLD = ACC

    * = Neutral site

    Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at [email protected] or at X @_Da_pistol.

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