DANIA BEACH, Fla. — When the shorthanded Seminoles take the field at Hard Rock Stadium against Georgia this Saturday in the Orange Bowl, they'll be without nearly two dozen scholarship players.
A total of 17 players on the two-deep depth chart from Florida State's last game – a 16-6 victory against Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game – are no longer on the team. That doesn't include star quarterback Jordan Travis, who suffered a season-ending injury in the 58-13 win against North Alabama last month. The former Benjamin School standout traveled to South Florida with his team.
The mounting losses are a combination of injuries and opt-outs for Seminoles who have either decided to transfer or declare for the NFL Draft after undefeated Florida State was snubbed of a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff.
Notable absences for the fourth-ranked Seminoles (13-0, No. 5 CFP) include Travis, backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker, who ascended to the No. 1 role after Travis' injury and led Florida State to a win at Florida, running back Trey Benson, wide receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, tight end Jaheim Bell and defensive end Jared Verse.
The Seminoles learned shortly before boarding their flight to South Florida on Christmas that they would be without Rodemaker, who participated in Orange Bowl practices in Tallahassee but decided to transfer rather than face competition in 2024. Florida State hosted two high-profile quarterbacks in the transfer portal – Washington State's Cam Ward and Oregon State's DJ Uiagalelei, who previously played for Clemson – for official visits earlier this month.
Former Florida State quarterback AJ Duffy has already transferred to San Diego State.
That leaves the Seminoles with true freshman Brock Glenn and a pair of walk-ons – redshirt freshman Dylan McNamara and true freshman Michael Grant – as his backups.
Headed into Saturday's game against the two-time defending national champions, the Seminoles lack depth, especially on offense, which produced 57 touchdowns in 2023. These players accounted for eight of them.
In addition to Benson, Florida State will be without running backs CJ Campbell and Rodney Hill, who decided to transfer, as well as Lawrance Toafili, who is out with an injury. The depth is so thin that two converted wide receivers, Ja'Khi Douglas and Joshua Burrell, are listed as running backs.
Three of the six receivers on the depth chart – Destyn Hill, Vandrevius Jacobs and Hykeem Williams – are true freshmen.
Defensively, it's not as bleak, though that's not saying much. The Seminoles lose starters in Verse, defensive tackle Fabien Lovett, cornerbacks Renardo Green and Jarrian Jones, and safety Akeem Dent, who played at Palm Beach Central High School.
There is a little bit of optimism, however, as the Seminoles gain a player in defensive tackle Darrell Jackson, who began his college career at Maryland and then Miami before transferring to Florida State. He was denied a hardship waiver request to play for the Seminoles in the fall, citing the need to be closer to his sick mother. But he's eligible for the Orange Bowl.
Meanwhile, No. 6 Georgia (12-1, No. 6 CFP) will seemingly have all its key players for the game. The Bulldogs reportedly had 20 players enter the transfer portal, but head coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday that everyone who is "completely healthy and cleared to play have all said they are going to play."
One Georgia transfer who won't be playing is Marvin Jones Jr. The son of former Florida State linebacker Marvin Jones recently signed with the Seminoles.