Travis, Verse on Walter Camp POY watch list

FSU Sports Information

Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis and defensive end Jared Verse are both on the Walter Camp Player of the Year watch list.

FSU is the only ACC program and one of eight nationally with multiple players on the watch list, which was released last Friday.

Travis, who also was named to watch lists for the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award, enters the 2023 season as a Heisman Trophy candidate after a stellar 2022 campaign in which he led Florida State to its first 10-win season since 2016 and a Cheez-It Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Travis finished the 2022 season 226-of-353 passing for 3,214 yards with 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions while adding 417 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground as well as one receiving touchdown. He was PFF’s highest-graded FBS quarterback and the highest-graded offensive player in the ACC. He is the only player in program history with at least 20 touchdown passes and seven rushing touchdowns in a season, and his 32 touchdowns responsible for rank as the third-highest single-season total in program history. The West Palm Beach native became only the fourth player in FSU history – joining Heisman Trophy winners Jameis Winston, Chris Weinke and Charlie Ward – with at least 3,000 total yards and 30 total touchdowns in a season. His 3,631 yards of total offense ranked fifth on FSU’s single-season list, while his passing yards total was seventh, his passing touchdowns were tied for 10th and his completions were 14th.

Travis led the ACC and ranked third nationally with his average of 8.35 yards per play, ranked first in the conference and fifth in the country with an average of 9.10 yards per pass attempt, led the ACC and ranked eighth nationally with an average of 14.22 yards per completion and led the ACC and was 14th in the country with a pass efficiency rating of 160.1. 

His average of 247.2 passing yards per game, 24 total passing touchdowns and 64.0 completion percentage all ranked third in the ACC, while his 194 points responsible for an average of 279.3 yards of total offense per game were fourth in the conference.

Verse, who also was included on watch lists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Wuerffel Trophy and was voted to the Preseason All-ACC Team, was named a first-team All-American by The Athletic after recording 48 tackles, including 17.0 for loss with 9.0 sacks, three quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and one blocked field goal in his first season with the Seminoles. He received the most All-ACC votes on defense while being named a first-team all-conference performer last season. The Dayton, Ohio, native was the only player in the ACC and one of two Power 5 defenders nationally with four games of 2.5 tackles for loss in 2022.

Verse led the ACC and ranked 17th in the country with his average of 0.75 sacks per game, and his average of 1.4 tackles for loss per game was second in the conference and 10th nationally. He played 12 games and had at least 0.5 tackle for loss in every game he finished, including a season-best 2.5 in four different games. 

In FSU’s 24-23 win over LSU, Verse registered 2.5 tackles for loss, including a career-high-tying 2.0 sacks, and one blocked field goal. He also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, with 1.5 sacks, as part of a season-high seven tackles in FSU’s 35-32 Cheez-It Bowl win over Oklahoma.

Florida State has accounted for 18 total watch list spots this season. In addition to the three each for Travis and Verse, running back Trey Benson is on watch lists for the Maxwell, Paul Hornung and Doak Walker awards. Defensive back Fentrell Cypress II is on the Bronko Nagurski watch list and the Jim Thorpe Award watch list. Offensive lineman Jeremiah Byers is on the Outland Trophy watch list, offensive lineman Maurice Smith is on the Rimington Trophy watch list, tight end Jaheim Bell is on the watch list for the Jim Mackey Award, punter Alex Mastromanno was named to the Ray Guy Award watch list, linebacker Tatum Bethune is on the Butkus Award watch list and both Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson are the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award.

Two of FSU’s Heisman Trophy winners, Ward in 1993 and Winston in 2013, brought home the Walter Camp Player of the Year honor. Ten Walter Camp Player of the Year semifinalists will be announced in mid-November, and the 2023 Walter Camp Player of the Year, which is voted on by the 133 FBS head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7.

The Seminoles open the 2023 season in primetime on Sept. 3 against LSU at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ABC.