The 2023 Florida State Seminoles ended the regular season unconquered, unbeaten, and undefeated after winning the ACC Championship. Unfortunately, their season ended in heartbreak after the controversial decision came from the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee to leave the undefeated ‘Noles out of the CFP.
One of the biggest reasons FSU was not deemed one of the top four teams in the country at the time of selection was the loss of QB Jordan Travis.
If the injury to Travis was so impactful enough to the FSU offense to justify leaving an undefeated Power Five team out of the CFP, how big of an impact can dynasty fantasy football managers expect Travis to have heading into the NFL? Let’s take a closer look.
Should You Draft Jordan Travis in Dynasty Fantasy Football?
The ending to Travis’ story at FSU may have felt like something you would find in a Greek tragedy, but his future is still plenty bright heading to the NFL. The dynamic QB did have a six-year collegiate career but showcased a significant amount of development during his time in Tallahassee over his final two seasons.
The buzz around Travis solidifying himself as a Day 2 pick or sneaking into the back end of Day 1 likely ended once he broke his leg against North Alabama to conclude his final season as a member of the Seminoles, but he will certainly still hear his name called at some point during the 2024 NFL Draft.
His jump in production and dual-threat capabilities certainly make him worth a dart throw at the end of your rookie draft in Superflex leagues.
However, unless Travis shoots up the rankings board during the draft process, I wouldn’t worry about investing high rookie draft capital in him for your fantasy league.
Who Is Travis?
Background
Travis was a three-star QB prospect coming out of both Palm Beach Central High School and The Benjamin School in southern Florida.
Due to his outstanding production as a senior at The Benjamin School, Travis was named the 2017 FHSAA 3-A Player of the Year and Palm Beach Player of the Year.
College Production
Travis started out his collegiate football career at Louisville in 2018. His impact was limited to just 71 passing yards and a score over his three appearances as a true freshman.
Travis would transfer to FSU ahead of the 2019 season, where he would appear in the final four games of the year. His impact was once again limited, generating just 79 passing yards and 228 rushing in his redshirt freshman campaign.
MORE: Dynasty Rookie Draft Strategies
In 2020, Travis would get the starting nod on six occasions, producing 1,056 yards and six scores through the air, all while breaking the single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback for FSU — which was previously held by Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward — with 559 yards on the ground.
After another modest year of production in 2021, Travis exploded in 2022 with 3,214 passing yards to go with 31 total TDs.
In 2023, Travis would boast an 11-0 record as the starter while throwing for 20 TDs to just two interceptions over his final collegiate season.
Injury History
In 2023, Travis broke his leg against North Alabama in November, which not only ended his season but also led to the controversial decision by the CFP committee to leave FSU out of the CFP. He would receive surgery on his injured leg.
Travis’ Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- Top shelf off-script creator; manages to threaten defenses as a ball carrier and passer once he breaks the pocket to extend plays.
- Plus-level athlete/creator in the running game; seven rushing scores in four straight seasons; showcases acceleration, agility, and contact balance as a ball carrier.
- Capable processor who can identify isolation matchups for favorable vertical shots down the field during the pre-snap process.
- Flashes moments of poise operating within the pocket and a confident decision-maker to get the ball out of his hands.
- Upper body throwing mechanics are consistent and clean; Release can be crisp and compact.
- Some quality reps with layered touch on fade throws outside the numbers.
- Arm elasticity allows for throws to be delivered on target from a variety of different angles.
Weaknesses
- Arm strength limitations could cause concerns for operating offense at the highest capacity with regard to vertical concepts and tighter window throws in the intermediate to deeper parts of the field, particularly outside the numbers.
- Lower body mechanics are a bit inconsistent; has a tendency to get a little unnecessarily “toesy” at times; can affect consistency driving the ball down the field.
- Would love to see more throws with anticipation and eye manipulation of defenders; occasional flashes tell me he is capable of it but lacks the consistency to call it a strength.
