MIAMI — There’s a new quarterback in town, and his name is Brock Glenn.
Well, he’s not brand new. Glenn is just new to FSU’s plans for the Orange Bowl. Until Christmas, the expectation was that Tate Rodemaker was going to quarterback the No. 5-ranked Seminoles (13-0) against No. 6 Georgia (12-1) on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium (4 p.m., ESPN). But then news broke over the holiday that Rodemaker, a fourth-year junior from Valdosta, had a change of heart and decided to opt out and enter the portal.
That left Glenn, a 6-foot-2, 214-pound freshman from Covington, Tennessee, as the only option really. He said he found out on his way back to campus after Christmas.
“It’s awesome; awesome. Opportunity of a lifetime, for sure,” Glenn said during Orange Bowl interviews Wednesday morning at the Le Meridien Dania Beach hotel. “We’re all excited about this opportunity, and we’re here to go win this game.”
“Win” or “win this game” is something Glenn said at least a dozen times during his 30-minute exchange with reporters covering the Orange Bowl. Whether he’s authentically confident or just trying to speak the outcome into the universe is unclear. The fact is, the line on Saturday’s game has steadily risen with the news that Rodemaker had opted out. It has gone from Georgia being a 13.5-point favorite to plus 16.5 in a 36-hour span following the announcement.
But Glenn has the Bulldogs’ full respect. At this point, he is far from a rookie. He has played in four games, the latest coming in a winning effort against Louisville in the ACC Championship game. While Glenn didn’t exactly lift the Seminoles on his shoulders – he had 55 yards passing and was sacked four times – he did enough with his head and legs to guide FSU to a 16-6 victory. Glenn had a rushing touchdown.
“He’s a good quarterback, obviously, because led them to an ACC championship over Louisville,” junior cornerback Kamari Lassiter said. “So, he runs the offense well; the offense runs well through him. He’s a mobile guy who knows how to run their offense very well.”
Glenn spent the majority of the season as FSU’s third-string quarterback behind starter Jordan Travis and Rodemaker. Travis was lost for the season with a broken leg against North Alabama in the season’s 11th game. A 4-star prospect out of Lausanne Collegiate School, Glenn chose the Seminoles over Ohio State in recruiting. In four games this season, he has completed 40% of his passes for 90 yards and rushed for 31 yards on 15 carries, which included four sacks in the ACC title game.
“Every game and every practice you grow and get better,” Glenn said. “You always have things to learn from. I went back and watched the ACC championship and saw a bunch of things I could improve on and I’ve worked on improving them. I’m confident and excited.”
Sophomore defensive end Mykel Williams said Glenn looks better on film than he does on the stat sheet.
“Glenn’s a great quarterback,” Williams said. “He’s very mobile. He’s fast and can get out of the pocket on you. You’ve got to be aware of where he’s at in the rush lanes.”
Of course, Glenn is not the only offensive backup who will start against the Bulldogs. FSU also will play without its leading rusher and top three pass-catchers because of opt-outs. About this, Georgia remains dutifully guarded.
“That doesn’t mean there’s not another great player behind them,” Williams warned. “That’s how we look at it. Basically, we see them as a faceless opponent. We don’t play who’s playing; we play what they do.”
Searels resting comfortably
Georgia offensive line coach Stacy Searels did not make the trip to Miami, and it’s unclear if and when he might do that following his hospitalization for pneumonia this week. The 58-year-old Trion native is expected to make a “full recovery,” according to UGA sports communications. He will rejoin the team as soon as he is able.
In the meantime, the Bulldogs are having to forge on in their preparations for the Seminoles. Offensive analyst Manrey Saint-Amour, who coached offensive line at Charleston Southern last year, was coaching the group Wednesday. Before that, Saint-Amour was a graduate assistant at Alabama in 2021 and Florida State in 2020. He played at Georgia Southern.
Georgia’s line has flourished in Searels’ two years back with the program. The Bulldogs have allowed on 21 sacks in 28 games and are averaging over 5.5 yards per carry rushing in that span. Searels had a previous stint at Georgia under coach Mark Richt from 2011-13. He had stops at Virginia Tech, Miami and North Carolina before rejoining the Bulldogs.
Brock Watch, Part III
The Brock Bowers’ Watch has resumed.
The last third of the season seemed like it was a weekly watch as to whether Georgia’s star tight end would be able to play. Truthfully, it began well before Bowers sustained a high-ankle sprain against Vanderbilt on Oct. 14. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound junior battled groin and foot injuries before that, as well as the resident ankle and shoulder tweaks.
As for this week, Bowers is still a no-show for the Orange Bowl. He was not present during the 15-minute viewing period of Georgia’s practice at Barry University in Miami Gardens on Wednesday and didn’t accompany the team on its flight to Miami on Tuesday. Unconfirmed reports are that he plans to arrive Thursday.
His position coach, Todd Hartley, insists even he doesn’t know.
“We don’t know,” Hartley said Wednesday. “His status is unsure. We know he’s still battling the ankle injury that has been bothering him forever now, it seems. He’s been great in rehab. I hope he makes it; don’t know if he will.”
Also absent from workouts Wednesday were junior right tackle Amarius Mims, who aggravated his surgically repaired left ankle in the SEC Championship game, and freshman outside linebacker Damon Wilson, who had minor knee surgery in Athens, according to DawgsHQ.com.
Kicking it with Hartley
Hartley scoffs at his informal distinction as Georgia’s co-special teams coordinator, but nobody knows the Bulldogs’ kickers or kicking game better. An exceptional story-teller, Hartley enjoyed a rare opportunity to speak to the press Wednesday and shared some anecdotes about Georgia’s punter, Brett Thorson, and place-kicker Peyton Woodring. Both players have performed well for the Bulldogs this season.
At one point, Hartley casually referred to the freshman Woodring as “New Shoes.” Asked why he called him that, Hartley laughed.
“He came out there in fall camp with his fancy little shoes on,” Hartley shared. “Kirby loves to give the freshmen heck, right? So he was saying, ‘see ya got your new shoes on today!’ They were pink and green and flamboyant, typical kicker shoes. So he started calling his ‘New Shoes,’ and that just kind of stuck. And I like nicknames.”
Hartley said his biggest regret with Thorson is not getting to go to Victoria, Australia to recruit him in person.
“Unfortunately, COVID wouldn’t allow it,” Hartley quipped. “That whole recruiting process With Pro Kick Australia is a wild process. It’s kind of like a mail-order bride. You find one you like; you don’t really know; you’ve got a lot of trust in the person sending him to you; and then the show up and you’re, like, ‘Please, Lord, let him be good.’ Fortunately it worked out pretty good.”
Thorson has been a weapon, whenever he gets an opportunity. But that has been rarely, a fact which he jokes about all the time on social media. After the Bulldogs locked up running back Trevor Etienne as a transfer from Florida, Thorson joked that he’d be seeking the portal himself.
“He was very nice on the Zooms and he liked talking to my kids, and now he’s a complete butthole,” Hartley joked. “I’m kidding. I love Brett. He does have a great sense of humor though, doesn’t he. His Twitter feed is off the chain. A good follow, and that’s how he is in person, too.”
Hartley also wsa instrumental and helping the Bulldogs land the current No. 1-ranked punter prospect in the country in Drew Miller of Mediapolis, Iowa.
“Unbelievably strong leg,” Hartley said. “He can boom it. He has kickoff ability, too. When you have a chance to sign a kid like that, who you think can be a difference-maker on special teams, then you do it. We’ve got Thorson and him, but that guy’s a weapon. You know Kirby is not going to scholarship just anybody as a specialist.”
