Florida State Football: How does Alex Hornibrook fit with Noles?

1. Competition 

Ideally, neither James Blackman nor Alex Hornibrook would be the quarterback at Florida State. Both are solid quarterbacks, but neither are great fits for the power-spread offense Taggart and Briles are trying to establish in Tallahassee. Taggart likes to run the quarterback, and so does Briles, whose offense Taggart studied while Briles was at Baylor and Taggart was revamping the offense at South Florida, which he eventually called the West Coast Offense.

The West Coast Offense works best when operated by a mobile quarterback like Taggart had in Quinton Flowers at South Florida. Although Flowers was not a great passer, he could run the ball effectively, which opened up passing lanes. This is especially important given the current state of the Seminoles’ atrocious offensive line. Considering the West Coast Offense borrows heavily from what Taggart learned at Baylor, it is no surprise that Briles, too, likes to run the quarterback, as he did most recently with D’Eriq King at Houston.

That said, neither Blackman nor Hornibrook are particularly fleet-footed, although they are not statues, which is certainly an improvement over Francois. Blackman is a willing runner. The question is, given his size, should he?

On the other hand, while Hornibrook has a reputation for being a prototypical pocket passer, it is often overlooked that he is fully capable of rolling out and moving around when the pocket breaks down.

This comparison comes up around almost every bigger quarterback, but it applies here, too: watching tape, Hornibrook resembles a young Ben Roethlisberger: he thrives in the pocket, but he’s not afraid to tuck and run when it’s there. He may even be slightly more mobile than Blackman. Best case, Briles finds a way to use Hornibrook in a similar way that Taggart used Justin Herbert at Oregon, running him just enough to force defenders into respecting his ability while relying mostly on his greater talent as a passer.

Unless the Seminoles sold Hornibrook on an unrealistic dream, the role of starting quarterback at Florida State is James Blackman’s to lose. Hornibrook has to know this and he must be willing to compete, which is a good thing for the Seminoles. As a three-year starter with considerable experience and leadership, Hornibrook will bring a good amount of competition to the quarterback room, pushing not only Blackman but the other guys as well.

Blackman doesn’t seem like the kind of player who needs to be pushed: he was not highly recruited as a prospect, didn’t project to start at Florida State, and he wouldn’t have, had it not been for a series of unexpected domino falls that led to this scenario. Thrust into the spotlight following Francois’ injury in the 2017 season opener, few knew his name. However, as a true freshman, Blackman righted the Seminoles during a turbulent season that saw head coach Jimbo Fisher’s departure.

In 2018, despite all indications otherwise, Blackman lost the starting job to Deondre Francois, playing only one full game against N.C. State, in which he completed 63 percent of his passes for 421 yards and four touchdowns, a performance which resulted in him being named ACC Player of the Week. Nevertheless, Taggart returned to Francois the following week.

Long story short: Blackman has been doubted, he has been disrespected. But by all accounts, he has remained a good teammate and leader. And he is a talented quarterback. The 2019 season is his time to shine. He is unlikely to give up the moment. Nevertheless, a little competition is always good for improvement, and that’s something the Seminoles desperately need in 2019.