Willie Taggart has a lot of pressure on his shoulders to pick the right quarterback for Florida State football this fall. It should be Deondre Francois.
Florida State football’s offense is starting to have some people across the country forget about what they’re able to do with all their talent maximized. There was a ton of hype surrounding the Noles entering the 2017 campaign, alongside then rising sophomore quarterback Deondre Francois.
A season-ending knee injury heard across the college football world derailed what should have been a great season with Francois. That injury came in Florida State’s season opener against head coach Nick Saban and the eventual National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide.
Florida State came out looking like a completely different team for the rest of the season. Former head coach Jimbo Fisher gave freshman quarterback James Blackman Jr. the start for the year. Blackman Jr. does have a promising future in football, but he can’t match the production of Francois.
During his freshman campaign back in 2016, Francois totaled 25 touchdowns, to just seven interceptions. He needed just 150 passing yards to reach the 3,500 yard mark as a freshman too. That type of stat line likely would have improved if he stayed injury free with the Noles in 2017.
Entering the 2018 regular season, there’s a lot of change happening in Tallahassee, FL. Florida State brought in someone new to the helm in former Oregon Ducks and South Florida Bulls head coach Willie Taggart. After Jimbo departed for a job with the Texas A&M Aggies, Taggart took over one of the more talented programs in the nation entering the upcoming slate.
A speed bump for Francois came in the way of a domestic violence came back in January. The case was later closed, but that type of distraction is always a negative thing for big time programs. Since then, Taggart seems happy with the quarterback competition to win the starting job.
Ultimately, Francois should have the inside track to get the nod in Week 1 to lead the way for the Florida State offense. However, having a potent and talented quarterback in waiting like Blackman Jr. can shorten the leash for Francois is he struggles to get his footing early in the season.
ACC play kicks off very early for Florida State in 2018, as they take on rising sophomore quarterback Josh Jackson and the Virginia Tech Hokies at home in Week 1. There’s a few easier contests after that to get comfortable, but the Noles need a solid start to the year if they want to make a real run at the ACC Championship.
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That’s exactly why Florida State needs Francois to be at his best in Week 1, which is a difficult task for someone who hasn’t taken a real in-game snap since Sep. 2017. However, Francois is the type of quarterback that can toss 30 touchdowns this season, and keep the pick numbers down too. He’ll make some noise with the Noles this year.