Unlike last season where there was a perceived competition between Sean Maguire and Deondre Francois, Florida State’s quarterback position will undoubtedly be manned by Francois in 2017.
Francois proved a lot as a redshirt freshman last year, showing toughness and an ability to perform with the game on the line. The problem for FSU when it comes to quarterbacks is Francois was hit a lot in 2016 and the depth behind him is essentially non-existent. In total, FSU has just four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster and outside of Francois, only J.J. Cosentino has ever attempted a pass.
1. The Name to Know: Deondre Francois
The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, Francois was productive as a redshirt freshman in 2016. Francois finished with 3,350 yards passing and 25 total touchdowns. For all his accolades early on, Francois still has room for improvement. Francois isn’t always the most accurate of passers and sometimes struggles with anticipation. Francois also has an unfortunate knack for taking sacks.
2. Burning Question: Can Francois Improve as a Sophomore?
As mentioned before, there is room for Francois to improve as a sophomore, but that’s far from a slam dunk. While Francois showed a lot of promise last season, he will be losing his leading rusher, leading receiver and best offensive lineman. Opposing teams will also have a full year of film on the signal-caller and the offensive line is still a question mark.
Despite head coach Jimbo Fisher’s reputation as a quarterback guru, even 2013 Heisman Trophy winner and future first overall pick, Jameis Winston, showed regression as a sophomore. Francois will also face some really good defenses in 2017, including Clemson, Florida, Alabama and Boston College to name a few.
3. Put Your Future Stock In: Bailey Hockman
An early enrollee, Bailey Hockman has a lot of desirable tools to be the next great quarterback at Florida State. A lefty, Hockman is decisive, accurate and moves well within the pocket. If everything goes right for Hockman, he’ll have a real chance to be the backup to Francois this upcoming season.
4. Other Names to Know: J.J. Cosentino
A redshirt junior, J.J. Cosentino is the veteran of the quarterback unit for FSU. Cosentino is 6-4 and 235 pounds with a strong arm, but those traits have not translated to production on the field. For his career, Cosentino is just 7-for-19 passing for 46 yards and a touchdown; he’s has had the “deer in the headlights” look whenever on the field in a meaningful situation.
5. Food for Thought
Francois’ five rushing touchdowns a season ago was the most for any Florida State quarterback under Fisher. Francois also started all 13 games for the Seminoles last season, making him just the third FSU quarterback in the Fisher era to start every game. Among returning ACC quarterbacks, only Louisville quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson had a better passer rating than Francois.
As good as Francois was as a freshman, he was not great against solid competition. Against the four top-10 defenses that Francois faced last season, he was just 57-for-112 — a 51 percent completion rate — with 829 yards passing and seven touchdown passes compared to just three interceptions. Francois did lead a pair of fourth quarter comebacks.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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