FSU Football: Deondre Francois Could Be Nation’s Best Quarterback in 2017

FSU football and last year’s redshirt freshman starting quarterback Deondre Francois could surprise a lot of people in 2017.

When Deondre Francois stepped behind center as the Florida State starting quarterback in 2016, the comparisons to Jameis Winston (as unfair as they may have been) seemed inevitable. Francois was a redshirt freshman, taking over after a tumultuous season at quarterback for the Seminoles, and had a lot expected of him.

Francois doesn’t possess Winston’s size – coming in a full two inches shorter and almost 20 pounds lighter – but he does have a similar skill set, and an infectious winning attitude that drew his teammates to him immediately.

In his first full season, Francois didn’t follow the Winston road map of leading the Seminoles to an undefeated season and a national title, but he didn’t have quite the talent surrounding him that Winston had in 2013 either.

What Francois did do was light up the stat lines with 3,350 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns along with 198 rushing yards and five TDs on the ground – a season which brought him ACC Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

If you put the first year stats of Winston and Francois side-by-side, you might get a somewhat distorted picture of just how good Francois was…and will be.

When it comes to athletic ability, Winston is a freak of nature. He’s got gifts few are graced with and he used them well in his two seasons at FSU. Did he work hard to really refine them? Hard to say. Many would say Winston depended far too much on his natural abilities and didn’t put in the work.

Francois is also blessed with such gifts, including a right arm which the football gods fashioned into a human railgun (ever hurl a football over a massive frat house with a 35-foot peak?).

But beyond his ability, there’s the definite look and demeanor of someone who wants to learn and improve. Francois won’t rest on his laurels and he looks to be a player who wants to work to maximize his potential.

He also didn’t make excuses.

Florida State’s offensive line went through some growing pains last season, and the All-ACC quarterback put up those trophy-winning numbers despite being sacked 34 times during the season, and absorbing more hits than a WWE mid-carder. Yet you never heard complaints, you never saw bickering on the sideline and Francois never threw teammates under the bus.

With all the attention focused on the Clemson Tigers and Deshaun Watson last season, Francois and the 10-3 Seminoles were somewhat overlooked. That likely won’t be the case in 2017.

It’s safe to say, FSU’s offensive line will be better – much better – in the coming year, and despite losing all-everything tailback Dalvin Cook, the Noles will still have a running game that will still demand respect from opposing defenses.

But Deondre Francois will be the key, and he could step into not only the Heisman conversation early on, but also may end up as the best quarterback in the nation when all is said and done. He’s got talent, and he’s got an even better work ethic. His football IQ was evident last season as he learned quickly from mistakes, and hung on every word from his coaches on the sidelines.

Francois’ completion percentage was higher in his last four ACC games (59%) than his first four (56.35%), and his touchdown/interception ratio improved from 3/2 to 3/1 in those games. He was a student and a leader, and found ways to bring his team to some impressive wins, including a 33-32 Orange Bowl win over a defensively solid Michigan team.

Not only were the mistakes lessening as the season went on, but Francois’ confidence grew. No matter the score, you could see that look of someone who never believed his team was out of a game come across his face.

When you watch Francois play, you see an uncanny mixture of pro-style pocket passer and dual-threat ability. His first choice isn’t to run the ball or scramble, he’s reading his progressions and finding the open target. When Francois does run, it’s ballet-like the way he glides across the field. He doesn’t break ankles the way Winston used to, but he just slides through the defense like he’s been sprayed with WD-40.

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Tune in to Deondre Francois any chance you get in 2017, and you’re going to see a quarterback really come into his own. There might not be as many dazzling plays and game-saving runs as there was with Jameis Winston running the show, but Francois is going to be a true leader, on and off the field, for the Seminoles.

My guess is, we’ve only seen the tip of the Deondre Francois iceberg, and in 2017 he’s going to put on some clinics for FSU football fans.