Deondre? D? Dirtie? Frenchy? Frank? Florida State fans, it’s time to find something you’re comfortable calling redshirt freshman Deondre Francois. Come Labor Day, you’ll be calling him your team’s starting quarterback.
The race for the starting position under center was made a lot clearer over the weekend as redshirt senior Sean Maguire was ruled out for at least four weeks after injuring his right foot and will miss at least the Sept. 5 opener against Ole Miss. Maguire was coming off a left foot injury suffered during Florida State’s 38-24 Peach Bowl loss to Houston.
The race had seemed to be trending Francois’ way since Maguire’s initial injury. While Maguire was forced to miss the spring, Francois was making throws, learning the offense and winning over his teammates.
Though head coach Jimbo Fisher hasn’t named a starter for the Orlando opener, the job is essentially cemented for Francois. Looking at the entire scope of the quarterback situation, there are some other things to think about. Here’s three:
1. If Francois Isn’t Fully Ready, We’ll Notice
Deondre Francois won’t have a very large margin for error to begin his reign as FSU’s starting quarterback. With the exception of a home tilt with Charleston Southern in between, the Seminoles will hit the ground running in 2016. FSU opens against an Ole Miss team that won 10 games and the Sugar Bowl last season before playing its first true road game against Louisville and an incredibly talented Cardinal defense on Sept. 17. It’s possible that FSU won’t have Sean Maguire ready to go for either contest and Francois absolutely cannot afford to be a liability.
2. FSU Has Concerns Without Maguire
As mentioned before, Sean Maguire might not only miss the contest against Ole Miss, but could be out until late September or early October. Five of FSU’s first six games come against bowl teams from a season ago and if something happens to Francois, the Seminoles could be in trouble. If Florida State was without both Maguire and Francois, Fisher would have to turn to either redshirt sophomore J.J. Consentino or true freshman Malik Henry. Henry looked good in the spring and has huge potential, but is light at 185 pounds and still not fully adapted to the speed of the college game. Consentino had the look of a deer in the headlights when he briefly came in relief of Maguire in the Peach Bowl, appearing rattled and indecisive with the football. In the spring game, he didn’t look much better, misfiring on each of his four pass attempts.
3. FSU Could Still Need Maguire This Season
Though Maguire probably wasn’t going to win the starting job, he’s still a very valuable piece for FSU. Maguire has won big games as FSU’s starting quarterback and has a history of being able to get the job done on short notice. If (God forbid) anything happened to Francois, Maguire could definitely get the job done and the team needs him healthy. For a team like Florida State with national championship aspirations, it’s not uncommon for a backup to play a role in winning a championship. Just two years ago, Ohio State won the national title with Cardale Jones, who began spring third on the depth chart under center. During FSU’s first national championship season in 1993, it’s worth noting that Danny Kanell made a start for an injured Charlie Ward. Depth matters in college football, especially at quarterback.
Don Juan Moore/FSU athletics
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