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FSU's Jacob Rizy has faced challenges since transferring from Harvard. Here's how he overcome them

peter holland jr., tallahassee democrat
·5 min read

For offensive lineman Jacob Rizy, playing for Florida State football (1-7, 1-6) is not like playing in the Ivy League.

Playing at the FBS level has been challenging for the Harvard transfer, and it's not just dealing with the Florida heat every day.

It all paid off last Saturday against Miami when Rizy was named the starting left guard for the first time. While disappointed that the Seminoles lost to the Hurricanes, he was glad to take on the starting job.

"It was a great opportunity, but unfortunately, we didn't win," Rizy said after Wednesday's practice.

"The message that week was that we really had to win that game, and we fell short. It was nice to play, but I just really wanted to win."

Rizy played his first three years at Harvard, where he was a two-time All-Ivy League player.

Last year, he helped make Crismson one of the top rushing offenses in the FCS, with its leading rusher, Aidan Borguet, averaging 118.3 yards per game, a conference-best. He was also a wrestler for the Crimson.

Once he enrolled at FSU earlier this year after entering the transfer portal, Rizy had to keep up with the other linemen group that was more highly recruited or established than him.

For Rizy, it was more about the minor details while keeping up the intensity of practice.

“The attention to detail and practice is really high,” Rizy said. "Just trying to stay on par with a lot of the guys here coming from lower-level division one programs."

More: Two-Minute Drill for Oct. 31: Florida plays Georgia in Jacksonville; Bucs meet Chiefs on MNF

Who played a part Jacob Rizy's development

FSU football players participate in fall practice as the team prepares for Georgia Tech at the Albert J Dunlap training center on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024.
FSU football players participate in fall practice as the team prepares for Georgia Tech at the Albert J Dunlap training center on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024.

Rizy soaked in as much knowledge and coaching as he could throughout fall camp and this season. Viewed as an interior lineman, Rizy had to learn to play tackle, guard, and center.

He worked at the center spot for most of the year while playing behind Maurice Smith.

"I was not where I wanted to be at the beginning of the season," Rizy said.

"It was challenging. Just adjustment, and I just tried to learn as much as I possibly could, going from tackle to center to guard and just trying to learn everything. I was not where I wanted to be, and I'm still not."

FSU transfer Jacob Rizy talks joining FSU
FSU transfer Jacob Rizy talks joining FSU

While a reserve player, Rizy continued to seek improvement in his technique and fundamentals. He credited Alex Atkins, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, for continuing to push him every practice.

"Coach Atkins does a really great job at holding us to a certain standard," Rizy said.

"That has helped me a lot. Just kind of taking his coaching, and if I take the wrong step, he'll let me know even something super minor."

When Atkins was asked about Rizy's progression and why he started for the Seminoles at left guard, he saw his progression all year while the Seminoles continued to shuffle the O-Line in seven of the eight games.

"I think he showed that he can function and belongs and can do it at this level, so I was proud to see him go out there and compete and showcase what he can do," Atkins said

"I think he's intelligent. He's gotten better. He's been in the young guy scrimmages, kind of fighting for his way to get that opportunity, so it was good to see him get an opportunity."

Rizy also credited his defensive teammates, including the defensive tackle duo Joshua Farmer and Darrell Jackson.

"We have phenomenal athletes here, so going against guys like Darrell (Jackson), Josh (Farmer), and Marvin (Jones Jr) every day has helped me progress," Rizy said.

"We had great players back at Harvard when I was there, but there's kind of a different edge at practice here. It's very different than the Ivy league, for sure, so having that has helped me progress as well."

Rizy, along with Andre Otto and Jaylen Early, has commonly been beaten by quality opponents. Rizy continues to feed off the young core.

The offense has been down all year. The running has slowly but surely been trending in the right direction after rushing over 100 yards and averaging 4.5 yards a carry in the last two games.

Rizy believes the offensive line will continue to improve if they stay off blocks and are efficient with their hands, which is back to the basics.

"We kind of just went back to focus more on fundamentals, held ourselves accountable to that, and that's really helped our run game kind of progress to where it should be," Rizy said.

More: Florida State football's Mike Norvell wants more from offense after disappointing practice

How to watch FSU vs. UNC game

  • Date: Saturday

  • Time: 3:30 p.m.

  • Where: Doak Campbell Stadium/ Tallahassee, Florida

  • TV: ACC Network

FSU football schedule 2024: TV channels, dates and start times

All times Eastern

* = ACC

Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football's Jacob Rizy looks to improve after his first career start