FAU Football: Deondre Francois low-risk, high-reward for Lane Kiffin

Landing Florida State transfer Deondre Francois was a low-risk, high-reward move by Lane Kiffin and FAU football. Can he contend for No. 1 snaps?

Lane Kiffin has done it again. The third-year FAU football coach landed one of the most prominent transfers on the market with a controversial past, giving him a last chance to succeed at the Division 1 level.

Deondre Francois was expected to contend as the starting quarterback for Florida State this fall, but some off-field issues led to Willie Taggart booting him from the team and he was forced to look for a new home.

On Monday, Francois announced he’d be attending Florida Atlantic in the fall as a walk-on and told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports that he learned from his off-field issues and takes full responsibility.

"“I take full responsibility for my actions. I just want to learn from it and grow from it. That won’t happen again. This has impacted my life far more than anyone can imagine. It helped me grow as a man and I’m ready to embark on new beginnings.”"

Those are words from a kid who seems like he has turned a corner and has a better outlook on things. He could very well turn into a leader for the Owls and if he’s not the starter in 2019, he could be there as a veteran presence.

Overall, this is a low-risk, high-reward move by Kiffin who wanted to add depth at the quarterback position after Chris Robinson was suspended this spring for — you guessed it — off-field issues that led to no charges.

Robinson is almost undoubtedly the starting quarterback for the 2019 season, assuming he stays away from trouble, but Francois has shown that he can start for a Power Five program ranked in the top-10 — which he did a couple of years ago under Jimbo Fisher. If Robinson struggles, don’t be surprised to see Kiffin turn to his proven walk-on.

Not many programs in college football have the luxury of falling back on a former ACC Rookie of the Year at quarterback if the 2,500-yard starter struggles.