The Florida State Seminoles are off to a 7-0 start and owe much of their undefeated season to quarterback Jordan Travis. Halfway through the college football season, where does Travis stack up in the Heisman conversation for 2023?
Jordan Travis: Three-Star to Heisman Winner?
Per DraftKings, Travis sits fourth in the Heisman odds at of the time of this writing with +800 odds. Travis is just behind Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and LSU’s Jayden Daniels.
Travis has Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel right on his heels with +1000 odds, but the gap between those two and the rest is rather commanding. Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is the next closest at +2000.
Travis’ Case for Heisman
Despite Florida State going undefeated to start the season and currently ranking fourth in the AP Poll, the buzz hasn’t been quite as strong for Travis. Florida State just took down the 16th-ranked Duke Blue Devils 38-20, a game where Travis had over 300 yards of offense by himself and three touchdowns.
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Travis has been a clutch performer for the Seminoles all season in big games. Against Florida State’s best opponents in LSU, Clemson, and Duke, Travis has completed 68.2% of his passes for 899 yards and eight touchdowns with just two interceptions. He has also tacked on three scores on the ground as well.
Travis has taken down two ranked opponents this season, something many other quarterbacks in the country can’t boast at this point. The Duke defense might have been his toughest test of the season, and after a slow first quarter, Travis caught fire, and FSU left Duke in the dust.
His biggest test to come will be Florida State’s showdown against Miami on Nov. 11. The Hurricanes are allowing just 313.6 yards of offense per game and will surely be looking to play spoiler to their in-state rival. If Travis keeps producing to this level, it’s pretty likely he’ll find himself in New York for the Heisman ceremony.
Travis has yet to have a “Heisman moment” for many this season. There’s been a lot of discussion on the real degree of difficulty Travis deals with, given the talent of his roster and how much he means to the team’s success, which he can’t really help at all. All Travis can do is help his team keep winning games.
Travis’ Draft Stock
Travis’ draft stock is a wild card. He hasn’t appeared in the Round 1 discussion as of right now, but he’s been one of the best senior quarterbacks of the season. He is an older prospect with physical tools closer to average than elite, which makes projecting him to the NFL a bit more difficult.
Travis projects best as a Day 2 pick right now based on his play this season — which round of Day 2 will be determined as the season plays out further.