From Baton Rouge phenom to BCS champion, Travis Minor’s relentless ground game cemented a legendary pipeline that turned Catholic High stars into icons at Florida State.
The talent pipeline that leads from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, La., to the Florida State football program has been well-documented. Prep stars such as Warrick Dunn, Travis Minor, and now newly committed Jayden Miles all shunned the hometown LSU Tigers in favor of the Seminoles.
Minor followed Dunn’s lead as a standout running back for the Bears and captured national attention, both on the field and on the recruiting trail. Minor’s gridiron exploits were regular reading in the sports section of Baton Rouge’s Advocate newspaper.
When he was finished leading the Bears on deep runs in the state playoffs, Minor had gained over 4,700 rushing yards and scored 52 touchdowns. He also caught 62 passes for another 1,344 yards and 20 touchdowns.
As a senior, Minor was named the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year and the Gatorade National Player of the Year. That kind of performance caught the attention of legendary coach Bobby Bowden, who signed Minor to a national letter of intent. The talent pipeline to Tallahassee continued to flow.
Once in the garnet and gold, Minor rushed for 623 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman on his way to earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors. Minor started 30 games over his final three years as a Seminole and was a four-time all-conference performer.
In 1999, Minor rushed for 923 yards and five touchdowns and helped lead a talented Florida State team to the BCS National Championship.
During his collegiate career, Minor never posted a 1,000-yard season or was named to any All-American teams, but he gained 3,218 rushing yards and scored 28 touchdowns, which ranks fourth all-time at Florida State. Minor also caught 106 passes for 831 yards and three scores.
Obviously, the talents of Minor and Dunn made the Baton Rouge to Tallahassee pipeline a productive one for the Seminoles over the years. Coach Mike Norvell looks to make sure that prep football commodity from Catholic High continues to pay dividends with the recent commitment of Miles.
As the first four-star pledge for the Seminoles 2027 class, the highly touted Miles once rushed for seven touchdowns (six rushing) in a game. He chose Florida State over such schools as Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oregon and Houston.
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