Harvard OL transfer Jacob Rizy looking to make impact at Florida State

Jacob Rizy knows nothing is going to be handed to him at Florida State.

The Harvard transfer, who was All-Ivy League last year at offensive tackle, knows he might not get on the field at all for the Seminoles this year. After all, he’s joining a team that is coming off a perfect ACC season, is returning a ton of experience on the offensive line, and also brought in some higher-profile additions.

But just because he doesn’t have a starting spot sewn up doesn’t mean the 22-year-old Connecticut native isn’t going to do everything he can to nab one.

“I like to compete,” Rizy said Wednesday during his first interview with the Florida State media. “I want to win jobs. It doesn’t really matter who’s in front of me, whatever the deal is, guys got here earlier. The great part about Florida State’s O-Line room is that it’s very competitive. But it’s a group of brothers. Everyone is like-minded in terms of wanting to win football games.

“And that’s the best part about football. That’s another reason why I came here. So, ultimately, I’m going to compete my tail off and whatever happens happens.”

Rizy said he isn’t quite sure which position he’ll be playing for the Seminoles in 2024, but he believes it will be, “in the interior.”

Typically, of course, that means the guard position. But the veteran lineman, who has started 20 games in his college career, also said he has been practicing snapping the ball since arriving in Tallahassee and could very well play center for the Seminoles as well.

It did not sound as if tackle was in his immediate future at Florida State, even though that is where he lined up at his previous school.

As for his long-term future, Rizy has two years of college eligibility remaining.

“Hopefully I do a bang-up job this year and get to go the NFL and only use one year,” he said. “If I have to use two, so be it. This is a great place to be for two years.”

Rizy, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, should be a quick study while picking up a new offense. He said he double-majored at Harvard in psychology and economics.

And while several FBS programs recruited him out of the transfer portal, he explained that Florida State had an inside track.

“My offensive coordinator, Mickey Fein at Harvard, has a connection with Coach Atkins,” Rizy said of Alex Atkins, Florida State’s offensive coordinator and OL coach. “He coached him when Coach Atkins played in college (at Tennessee-Martin). So, that connection was built. And that got my foot in the door here. And I got down on a visit and I loved it.

“I think I did pretty well on my visit in terms of showing myself. And now I’m here.”

*ALSO SEE: Updates and notes from other newcomer interviews Wednesday

Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.

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