HATTIESBURG — Had the 2023 ACC championship game been one day later, Tate Rodemaker likely would’ve been cleared from his concussion and been Florida State’s starting quarterback.
And had the undefeated Seminoles not been left out of the College Football Playoff, Rodemaker probably would’ve been their starting quarterback in that game, too.
But that’s not how it went, with Rodemaker sitting out the ACC championship game against Louisville and Florida State missing the College Football Playoff.
“I felt like we would have a chance if they just let us play and gave us an opportunity,” Rodemaker said. “… We were kind of pissed for like two whole weeks. It was tough, but still a great season nonetheless.”
By early January, Rodemaker transferred to Southern Miss, where he’s now in a battle to be the starting quarterback.
Rodemaker is a former three-star prospect from Valdosta, Georgia. He went to Florida State for four years, but only made two starts, one of those being the 2023 regular-season finale at Florida where he sustained the concussion. In 118 pass attempts from 21 career appearances, he’s thrown for 901 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Two of those touchdown passes came last September against Southern Miss.
Finding more playing time is why Rodemaker said he wanted to transfer from Florida State.
He said three schools recruited him the most out of the transfer portal: South Carolina, Tulane and Southern Miss. Golden Eagles coach Will Hall recruited Rodemaker out of high school when he was the offensive coordinator at Tulane and rekindled that relationship when Rodemaker entered the transfer portal.
Rodemaker took a visit to Southern Miss and liked enough of what he saw to cancel his trip to South Carolina.
“He recruited me really hard when I got in the portal and I took a visit and everything was really nice,” Rodemaker said. “They treated me really good on the visit.”
Southern Miss has not announced a starting quarterback for the 2024 season. Rodemaker, listed at 6-foot-4, 196 pounds, has been in the mix with three other candidates – Ethan Crawford, Billy Wiles and John White – who have all had their ups and downs throughout the spring.
The Golden Eagles are also installing a new scheme under new offensive coordinator Chip Long. Rodemaker said learning that, especially the verbiage, has been a point of emphasis, along with improving his footwork.
“I’ve spent my whole life just trying to get quicker on my feet and better footwork in the pocket,” he said.