Jake Rizzo's journey: From prep star to walk-on to FSU's No. 3 QB

Quick. Name the one quarterback on Florida State's roster who won a high school state championship.

Here's a hint: It is not J.J. Cosentino, Malik Henry, Deondre Francois or even Sean Maguire. No. The answer is Jake Rizzo.

As a high school senior in 2014, Rizzo led national power Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas to a Class 7A state title. Fast forward nearly two years to when FSU opened preseason camp earlier this month, and Rizzo was a fifth string walk-on for the Seminoles.

FSU's depth chart has changed a great deal since then. First, Maguire broke a bone in his right foot, which likely will cause him to miss the Sept. 5 season opener against Ole Miss. Then Henry was suspended for a violation of team rules.

Now, with just over a week remaining before the season begins, Rizzo is third behind Francois and Cosentino.

"He's got a really good arm, talented young guy," Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said of Rizzo. "If he gets some confidence in himself, listen, he'll have a chance to be a good little player."

In high school, Rizzo was at the controls of one of the best Aquinas offenses in recent memory.

He played with talents like Miami freshman Sam Bruce, Florida running back Jordan Scarlett and recent Ohio State commit/receiver Trevon Grimes. Aquinas went 14-1 that year, with its only loss coming to Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) on national television at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

Rizzo, who played in a pro-style system at Aquinas, passed for 1,907 yards, 28 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also completed 65 percent of his passes.

"It comes natural to him," said former Aquinas coach Rocco Casullo. "Works very hard. He's just a guy who sees the whole picture."