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Florida State quarterback Chubba Purdy out for the season after surgery

The four-star freshman made his first career start last week against North Carolina State.
 
Chubba Purdy will miss the rest of the season for Florida State.
Chubba Purdy will miss the rest of the season for Florida State. [ ETHAN HYMAN | AP ]
Published Nov. 18, 2020|Updated Nov. 18, 2020

Florida State’s bad luck continued Wednesday when first-year coach Mike Norvell announced that freshman quarterback Chubba Purdy will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.

Norvell told reporters Wednesday that the surgery stemmed from the broken collarbone Purdy suffered in August. Hardware from a procedure done at the time led to inflammation and irritation after his first career start last week against North Carolina State, speeding up the process to remove it.

“He’s going to be great in all aspects,” Norvell said. “It’s just one of those things. Unfortunate timing that got accelerated there, and something that arose there after the game.”

Purdy became only the fifth FSU quarterback to start as a true freshman. He finished 15-of-23 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 54 yards in the loss, while drawing praise from Norvell for his “incredible” demeanor.

Related: How one drive shows every area of FSU quarterback Jordan Travis' growth

The latest surgery, performed Tuesday, is not expected to affect his availability for spring practice, assuming there is one.

Purdy is the latest blow to FSU’s quarterback depth chart heading into Saturday’s game against No. 4 Clemson. The 'Noles are already without veteran James Blackman, who opted out last week to pursue a possible transfer. That leaves FSU with only two scholarship quarterbacks: Jordan Travis and true freshman Tate Rodemaker.

Travis missed last week’s game with an injury, but Norvell said he has been active during practice and is doing well. If Travis can’t play for some reason, FSU will have backup plans ready.

“That’s one thing 2020 has taught us,” Norvell said. “You have to be prepared for anything that can show up.”