No matter who starts at quarterback for Florida State tonight against No. 9 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC), there's a decent chance Jordan Travis and McKenzie Milton both play in this game. And there's just about a 100 percent chance they both see this significant action this season.
With that being said, after a month of preseason practice, here are five things to know about the Seminoles' quarterbacks and what we can expect from them during the 2021 season:
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No. 1 -- The QB play will be better than in several years
It's hard to fathom how Florida State went from having Jameis Winston in 2013 and '14 to the level of quarterback play we have seen since that time.
With the exception of Deondre Francois' 2016 season, which wasn't bad at all -- especially given his inexperience and the horrendous offensive line play -- everything else has been a dud. From Everett Golson and Sean Maguire in 2015 to James Blackman in '17, from post-surgery Francois in '18 to Blackman and Alex Horninbrook one year later.
At times, it has been mediocre. At other times, ugly. And then there was 2020 ... which belongs in a category all by itself.
James Blackman got his last shot at FSU, and it unsurprisingly didn't go well. Then it was Tate Rodemaker, a true freshman who clearly wasn't ready for the stage or speed of the game. Then Jordan Travis and Chubba Purdy -- both of whom were limited during the preseason -- took turns carrying things the rest of the way. In nine games, four different quarterbacks started at least one game. And the two who showed the most promise -- Travis and Purdy -- were hurt by seeing few of the important reps in fall camp.
That is a big part of the reason why the quarterback play will be much improved in 2021. Now that they each have had a full offseason in Mike Norvell's system, Travis and Purdy have come a long way in both their knowledge of the offense and their chemistry with the skill players. Then you add in Milton, who was one of the nation's top quarterbacks before his 2018 injury, and there's simply no way FSU won't be much improved at that ultra-important position this fall.
