FSU QB Francois Confident in Supporting Cast

With running back and all-time leading rusher Dalvin Cook off to the NFL, quarterback Deondre Francois has become the face of the Florida State offense.

Francois is coming off a solid redshirt freshman campaign in which he accounted for more than 3,500 total yards and 25 total touchdowns. Francois was named ACC Rookie of the Year en route to leading the Seminoles to a 10-win season capped with a 33-32 come-from-behind win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl and a No. 8 national ranking.

“What I love about Deondre is he allows himself to be coached,” FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said at ACC Kickoff on Thursday. “His teammates have gained a great deal of respect for him. I think it was outstanding what he accomplished.”

As Francois looks to build on a solid 2016 campaign however, he’ll had to do so with a supporting cast that lacks a ton of experience. With Cook and wide receivers Travis Rudolph, Jesus Wilson and Kermit Whitfield all gone, the Seminoles lose more than two-thirds of their rushing and receiving yards from last season.

Despite that, Francois said he was comfortable with what he’ll have to work with. The biggest departure looks to be that of Cook, a Consensus All-American last season. Tasked with replacing him will likely be junior Jacques Patrick and a pair of 5-star freshmen in Cam Akers and Khalan Laborn.

“We have a lot of good running backs,” Francois said during ACC Kickoff on Thursday. “They’re all very good at different things. They most all can catch, they all can block, they all can run.”

The biggest concern among skill-players for FSU may be at wide receiver. Rudolph, the team’s leading receiver in each of the last two seasons is gone. Auden Tate and Nyqwan Murray each return after productive sophomore seasons, but the other five scholarship receivers have just a combined eight career catches. That doesn’t mean there isn’t potential however, as Francois mentioned sophomore Keith Gavin as a potential breakout player.

“I feel like we got a lot of young guys that have been working hard and in the playbook,” Francois said. “I feel like those guys will go into next season with a lot of confidence also.”

In addition to losing skill players, there will also be a shakeup along the offensive line. Roderick Johnson, Kareem Are and Wilson Bell are all gone after combining to start 27 games last year.

The offensive line in 2016 however, was hardly a strength, especially when it came to pass protection. In 13 games, FSU allowed 36 sacks with Francois taking a number of big hits. Despite that, Fisher said he was optimistic about the offensive line heading into 2017.

“We have good players,” he said. “I think they understand what they have to do. We’re bigger, we’re stronger. I’m anxious to see what we’ll do and I think they’ll be fine.”

While the offensive line bore the brunt of the blame for the pass protection issues last season, Francois acknowledged Thursday that some of it was on him. Too often last season, the freshman held the ball too long or took sacks rather than taking off or throwing the ball away.

“I don’t plan on taking as many hits,” Francois said about 2017. “I got to work on getting the ball out quicker. I feel like from my redshirt season to my redshirt sophomore season, the game has slowed down.”

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson