11/21/2023 football Edit

Tate Rodemaker's development a lesson in learning from mistakes, patience

Tate Rodemaker will make his second FSU start on Saturday in The Swamp. (Mike Ewen)

Bob Ferrante • TheOsceola

Editor

Tate Rodemaker has come a long way in his time at Florida State. Just how long? Enough to at least shake a nickname he probably didn’t appreciate.

“He’s developed a lot,” defensive tackle Fabien Lovett said. “He’s gotten a lot better. When I first got here, they used to pick-six him all the time. They used to call him ‘Pick-Six Tate.’ But he’s gotten a lot better. Tremendously better. It’s his time now. … Everybody that don’t believe in him, we’re going to show y’all why you should believe in him.”

The story is true with all college quarterbacks: There will be growing pains adjusting from high school football to being an 18- or 19-year-old on the practice field with defensive players who are bigger, stronger and faster. Rodemaker was learning the playbook on the fly while facing defensive backs who were capable of closing passing windows far faster.

Rodemaker has often been an inconsistent practice player. Short passes that required touch were not his strength. At times, he has held the ball too long and shown indecision. But the deep ball? He’s always had an ability to let it fly with accuracy.

Tight end Jaheim Bell has played football with Tate Rodemaker since middle school in Valdosta, Ga. He said after Tuesday’s practice that Rodemaker is a quarterback of few words yet lets his play on the field do the talking.

“He’s very competitive,” Bell said. “Don’t say too much. Just go out and ball. He’s been like that since middle school.”

Rodemaker was the No. 26 pro-style quarterback by Rivals in the class of 2020, passing for 6,811 yards and 74 touchdowns (including 42 as a senior). He did a camp at Memphis and earned a scholarship offer from coach Mike Norvell.

“He was one of the guys that I liked a lot coming out,” Norvell said on Monday. “I liked just his play-making ability. You see somebody that can live in the pocket and throw on time, throw on rhythm.”

Rodemaker instead opted to commit to South Florida — which appealed because of a connection to then-Bulls offensive coordinator Kerwin Bell (who had also spent time at Valdosta State). But when Norvell landed at FSU in December 2019, Rodemaker connected with Norvell and then-offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham quickly. Within days, Rodemaker visited and flipped to FSU.

On signing day, Rodemaker kept his answers short and smiled during an interview with the Osceola and other news outlets inside the Valdosta High gym. When asked about what waas appealing about FSU, Rodemaker said much of it was Norvell and the scheme. But the depth chart was also appealing.

“They only have two scholarship quarterbacks so I think I can come in and compete day 1,” Rodemaker said.

As it turned out, Rodemaker has spent most of his career learning and waiting for opportunities. He earned a start in 2020 but struggled and Jordan Travis took over to engineer a win over Jacksonville State, and it’s perhaps not unique but unusual to think his second college start — on Saturday at Florida — will be coming more than three years after his first.

Norvell and the FSU staff brought in other quarterbacks, from McKenzie Milton to a second quarterback signee in 2020, Chubba Purdy, to AJ Duffy in 2022 and Brock Glenn this year. Travis grew in leaps and bounds, taking his own competitiveness and building confidence as he developed as a passer and into the program’s all-time leader in offensive yards.

Rodemaker kept learning and competing in practices, even if playing time in games were scarce. He saw his most significant playing time in two games. The first was a second-half rally at Louisville in September 2022, completing 6 of 10 passes for 109 yards in a 35-31 win. The second came on Saturday as he threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter of the 58-13 win over North Alabama.

But in four years, Rodemaker has often been competing and preparing to play without often getting much of an opportunity on game day. Rodemaker has completed 56 of 93 passes for seven touchdowns and five interceptions, with five TD passes this fall.

The question wasn’t lost on Norvell this week when it was posed that Rodemaker has indeed stuck around when many quarterbacks opt for the transfer portal.

“What I appreciate is just the way he's competed, but also not necessarily gotten discouraged with not being the starter,” Norvell said. “He's been behind one of the best players to play at Florida State.”

While Rodemaker lacks game experience, he has impressed when given extensive reps and multiple drives in games. Rodemaker looked composed in an emotional moment on Saturday, settling in and guiding the offense against FCS program North Alabama.

He made good decisions, threw darts and knew when to toss the ball away as he completed 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns. There was a wrong turn on a goal-line handoff, a play that showed perhaps a loss of focus. But there were more positives than negatives and zero turnovers.

Rodemaker has had four years of experience on the practice fields — growing from a guy known for giving up a few touchdowns to the defense into one where teammates have seen his progress. There is confidence in Rodemaker, and it helps that he has an immense amount of talent at running back, receiver and tight end, to help him build drives and lead the team.

“Tate’s an old head,” FSU offensive coordinator Alex Atkins said. “Not like we’re putting in some redshirt freshman, he’s been around. We were joking the other day, me and Tate got here at the same time. He’s been in it for a while. He understands the system now.

“I don’t have any concerns with how Tate handles things or operates or understands a system or how it works because he’s ran it numerous times. And I’m proud for his moment because he earned it.”