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'Pick-6 Tate': Nickname FSU football quarterback Tate Rodemaker has shed | The NoleBook

Ehsan Kassim, Tallahassee Democrat
·5 min read

Tate Rodemaker has come a long way in his time with Florida State football.

The redshirt junior is in his fourth year with the No. 4 Seminoles (11-0), but he has made just one start - which came during his freshman season in 2020.

Rodemaker - who is now the starter with starter Jordan Travis done for the season after sustaining an injury against North Alabama last week - is 56 of 93 passing (60%) for 767 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions for his career.

But early on in practices, he developed a nickname from the defense. One has since shed.

"He's developed a lot. He's gotten a lot better," FSU defensive lineman Fabien Lovett said. "They used to call him 'pick-6 Tate.' But he's gotten tremendously better. It's his time now. So I feel like we're going show everybody that doesn't believe in him why they should believe in him."

Tate Rodemaker with a strong performance at practice ahead of Florida

The post-Travis era is here in Tallahassee. Travis was notably absent from the group of quarterbacks walking in ahead of practice Tuesday, ahead of the matchup against rival Florida at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Swamp. The 'Battle of the Backups' will be broadcast on ESPN.

That was not a surprise, as he had already released a statement indicating his career at FSU was over. But how Rodemaker would perform as the newly installed QB1 was what every media member wanted to see.

After practice, head coach Mike Norvell called out the media for focusing on the offense more than the defense before his post-practice availability.

Overall, Rodemaker had stretches where was sharp and made great decisions. There were times when he was late in making throws and threw behind his intended target.

But overall, it was a solid practice for the signal caller ahead of his second career start.

"Tate, it's a little different role for him of what he gets to do and how he gets to do it," Norvell said following the practice Tuesday.

"But the mindset and the approach is no different than what he has done throughout the season. He had a couple of plays that we'll continue to improve upon. But I thought he threw the ball very well, made really good decisions for the most part and put himself in good positions."

Norvell and his staff like to rotate quarterbacks during the seasonal practices to ensure there is chemistry in case of an injury, as is the case now.

It's something that is paying off now as Rodemaker looked in synch with leading receivers Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson and Jaheim Bell, among others.

"That's why we practice the way we practice," Norvell said. "There's a lot of places where they only focus on a group or a certain number of players. You never know in this game. Tate has had plenty of work with the ones throughout the fall.

"There are things you have to have a look at and things you have to make sure you look at the consistency and timing. You can see today the timing, the rhythm, they have a good feel for each other."

Here are observations from the Democrat writers in attendance for Tuesday's practice ahead of the Week 13 matchup.

Observations from FSU's Tuesday practice before Florida

  • Similar to Miami week, there were no scouts in attendance.

  • 11v11 indoors: Tate Rodemaker throws away as Patrick Payton pressures. Azareye’h Thomas picks off a pass intended for tight end Jaheim Bell. Good leap and location of the ball. Rodemaker to Bell sets up a 42-yard FG from Ryan Fitzgerald. The kick is no good, wide left.

  • 11vs11 outdoors: Rodemaker barely overshoots Johnny Wilson down the sideline with Thomas in coverage. Trey Benson runs inside but finds zero running room.

  • Great high-point catch from Kentron Poitier on a throw from Brock Glenn. Went up for a catch, secured it and got a foot in bounds. Next play Glenn hits Darion Williamson on another good throw. Short of the sticks.

  • Live kicks: 34 and 43 kicks from Fitzgerald are good. Keltner is good from 34.

  • Crowd noise is a thing again today. Lots of Mo Bamba with a crowd cheering overlaying it when returning inside for period 15.

  • 11vs11 indoors: Glenn to Lawrance Toafili on a great route. Toafili was not picked up well out of the backfield and got wide-open.

  • Wilson makes a good catch on a throw from Rodemaker. Norvell comes over and high-5s him.

  • Keon Coleman makes a one-handed catch on a throw short and behind him. Good adjustment and turns up the field for YAC. Destyn Hill ran to him to celebrate. Norvell yelled at him to use "two hands" but also celebrated the catch.

  • Tom Petty’s ‘Won't Back Down’ plays during Period 17.

  • 7vs7 indoors scout: Ja'Khi Douglas gets wide open down the middle of the field and catches a TD pass from Rodemaker. The throw was not perfect but catchable spot for Douglas. Rodemaker drops a dime to Coleman for another TD. This one is perfectly placed. Confidence building.

  • 11vs11 scout: Rodemaker finds Coleman over the middle of the field again. Building connection.

  • ‘Won't Back Down’ on again.

  • Glenn hits Spann on a good throw in a little traffic. Put the ball where it needed to be.

  • Rodemaker to Wilson in the middle of the field

  • Rodney Hill gets outside and explodes for a big run

  • Rodemaker to Coleman, again. Middle of the field

  • ‘Won't Back Down,’ again

  • Fourth time ‘Won’t Back Down’ plays

  • Rodemaker hits Wilson with a well-thrown ball into the endzone for a TD.

  • ‘Won't Back Down’ plays for a fifth and final time of Tuesday’s practice.

GAME INFORMATION

Who: No. 4 FSU (11-0) vs. Florida (5-6)

When/where: 7 p.m., Saturday, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville

TV/Radio: ESPN/94.9 FM

Live game updates: www.Tallahassee.com; @Ehsan_Kassim, @jackgwilliams and @JimHenryTALLY on X, formerly Twitter

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tate Rodemaker has earned trust of Florida State football teammates