Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a brutal leg injury in Florida State’s victory over North Alabama this weekend. In what was supposed to be a tune-up match before their rivalry game against Florida and a College Football Playoff push, Florida State’s season was derailed in a sudden moment.
Travis came down awkwardly near midfield after picking up a first down on a run, appearing to injure his left ankle as he was dragged to the ground by a North Alabama defender. FSU’s star signal-caller’s left leg was put into an air cast, and he was carted off the field and taken to a nearby hospital.
Jordan Travis’ Injury Ends Collegiate Career
After the game, Travis released a video from the hospital saying he was in good spirits following the injury.
The following Monday, Travis released a statement via social media that his college career would be over due to this injury.
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In his statement, Travis said while the injury “marks the end of my Seminole playing career, the great memories created here at FSU will never fade. … The journey this team set out on is not over yet, as all of our goals still lie just ahead.”
Specifics of the injury remain unclear at this time, but Florida State head coach Mike Norvell is expected to release some further news during his weekly press conference.
How Does This Impact Travis’ Draft Stock?
While the last thing on anyone’s mind at that moment is speculating on Travis’ draft stock, it bears talking about after the fact.
Travis had played well enough to rank as the 96th-overall prospect on the PFN NFL Draft Big Board, ranking as the QB10. He was a likely fourth- or fifth-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft before the injury but would have needed a good offseason if he wanted to hit his draft ceiling.
However, this injury complicates matters. With the draft in April, the timeline for Travis’ recovery and pre-draft workouts is thin. While we don’t know the specifics of his injury at this point, it was bad enough that it would knock him out for the rest of the season — a determination that came rather quickly after the injury.
It feels safe to assume the earliest he could return to workouts would be sometime after any potential playoff or championship game in January. Speculations have placed his injury around a 3-4 month recovery timeline, assuming the initial diagnosis at first glance is correct.
That would cause him to miss any practices at the Shrine or Senior Bowl, although he could certainly attend and interview with teams. Travis could also miss the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February if he is still rehabbing the injury.
As it gets closer to the NFL Draft, it’s possible that Travis could do some workouts for NFL teams either at Florida State’s scheduled Pro Day or a private workout for teams. In such a stacked quarterback class, Travis was already facing an uphill battle to earn a high draft pick. This injury is an unfortunate setback for him, and one from which he can hopefully recover quickly.
