Florida State will soon begin its quest for a national championship in 2017 after a top-10 finish in 2016.
The Seminoles are loaded from top to bottom with talent, but two players will stand out from others and earn team MVP honors. This award can go to any player on the team, but there are two in particular that FSU will rely heavily on to help the team win games this upcoming season.
One offensive player and one defensive player will get the award. With that said, let’s look at the two projected players who should win that honor for FSU in 2017:
Deondre Francois, QB
Redshirt sophomore Deondre Francois will take on more of a leadership role in his second year as the team’s starting quarterback. As a freshman, Francois was a solid player who entered the campaign with high expectations. He lived up to those expectations, though the Seminoles didn’t make it to the College Football Playoff as many had hoped.
The freshman from Orlando stole the show in his first game against Ole Miss as the Seminoles rallied from 22 points down to beat the Rebels, 45-34. Francois remained a dependable quarterback throughout the season. Perhaps his worst performance came at Louisville in a devastating 63-20 loss to open ACC play.
Looking ahead to 2017, Francois will yet again lead the team at quarterback and have high expectations. Francois will be losing his top rusher, receiver and offensive lineman, but a second year as a starter under FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher has done wonders for quarterbacks in the past, including Christian Ponder, E.J. Manuel and going back to his LSU days, Matt Mauck and Jamarcus Russeell. Should he progress in needed areas like accuracy, anticipation and pocket presence, Francois should be the most valuable player for the FSU offense.
Derwin James, S
Redshirt sophomore safety Derwin James is coming back from a meniscus injury that he suffered early during the season in 2016. As evidenced in the spring game, he is hungry to shred opposing offenses and continue to deliver punishing blows. He is considered one of the best safeties in all of college football heading into the season and as long as he’s healthy, that should not change.
FSU fans want to see James be the leader on defense and for James, that seems to come naturally. His ability to hawk down receivers is tremendous. James has quick feet, and can read a play from an offense before the ball is even snapped.
James has the ability to take away large sections of the field for opposing offenses and did virtually everything for the Seminoles as a freshman in 2015 despite being worked along slowly. With veterans like DeMarcus Walker and Marquez White off to the NFL, expect James to not only be the best player, but the face of the FSU defense.
Brandon Eisenman is a contributor for The Daily Nole and Last Word On College Football.
You can find Brandon on Twitter, @LastWordWithBE.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login