Florida State's Keon Coleman Laments CFP Snub in Draft Announcement

An undefeated regular season and a ranked win in the ACC Championship Game weren't enough for Florida State to earn a spot in this year's College Football Playoff, so Keon Coleman's collegiate career is ending earlier than he had hoped.

The All-ACC wide receiver declared for the 2024 NFL Draft on Wednesday in a lengthy Instagram post. Coleman will not play in No. 5 FSU's Orange Bowl matchup with No. 6 Georgia on Saturday. In a farewell post, the pass-catcher thanked Florida State and his previous school—Michigan State. But he also lamented the fact that, despite arriving in Tallahassee earlier this year with eyes on a national title, his time with the Seminoles ends with a playoff snub.

"You wanted to win a championship," Coleman said to FSU fans in his Instagram post. "I came here to win a championship. We gave it everything we had and unfortunately did not have the opportunity to prove that we were the best team in college football this year. I'm forever grateful for the fans, my coaches, and my teammates who are now my life-long brothers."

Florida State (13-0) became the first undefeated Power Five team to miss the College Football Playoff in its decade-long history.

The selection committee opted to put a one-loss Alabama team in at No. 4 instead of the Seminoles. Committee chair Boo Corrigan cited the season-ending injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis as the reason the Seminoles were left out of the field, claiming "Florida State is a different team than they were through the first 11 weeks." Deion Sanders said in an interview with Newsweek that the committee choosing Alabama—along with Michigan, Washington and Texas—over Florida State was a "business decision."

Whatever the case, instead of preparing to compete in a playoff game on New Year's Day, Coleman is cutting his time in college off in the middle of bowl season to focus on his professional future.

After only being given a consolation trip to the Orange Bowl, nearly two dozen FSU players from the team's ACC title game roster will be unavailable against Georgia, according to ESPN, either because they declared for the draft or entered the transfer portal.

"It's about the players that are here and the work that they put in," FSU coach Mike Norvell told reporters on Monday, via 247Sports. "I'm grateful for every player that we have. Life is full of choices. The last month has been really challenging—coming off the championship game, there was a lot of emotion, and guys had to make tough and challenging decisions.

"But the guys that are here are excited about it and looking forward to the week of preparation and the competition that's ahead."

Here's a closer look at Coleman's college career and what's next for the receiver.

Coleman College Stats at MSU, FSU

Coleman, a former four-star prospect out of Louisiana, caught 65 passes for 848 yards, and eight touchdowns across his first two college seasons at Michigan State. And the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder even spent a brief stint as a two-sport athlete with coach Tom Izzo's men's basketball team.

But the star pass-catcher wanted a change of scenery for his junior season.

The former third-team All-Big Ten performer transferred to Florida State in May. And his impact was felt immediately once the regular season kicked off. Coleman caught nine passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns in a season-opening win over LSU. Despite battling injuries during the campaign, he still finished his lone FSU season with 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns, while also averaging 12 yards per punt return.

Coleman NFL Draft Projections

Ohio State standout Marvin Harrison Jr., assuming he declares, is universally seen as the top wide receiver prospect — and potentially the best player overall — in the 2024 NFL Draft. But Coleman will be among the candidates vying to be the next wideout off the board.

ESPN Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. listed the 20-year-old as the No. 12 overall player and fourth-best wide receiver prospect in the coming draft on his latest big board. Coleman is also the No. 7 overall prospect and No. 2 receiver on Bleacher Report's draft rankings. Three different CBS Sports mock drafts project Coleman to go within the top 20 picks, while a recent USA Today prediction has the receiver being selected eighth overall in April's draft.