Florida State Football: 5 players trending up after spring 2019

Willie Taggart covered his bases after losing Deondre Francois, who has since been picked up by Lane Kiffin and FAU, by landing Wisconsin grad transfer Alex Hornibrook. He gave his offense some options at the quarterback position, but many were worried about the thought of either one as a starter.

While Hornibrook started for the better part of three years for Big Ten West-contending Wisconsin, he didn’t quite blow people away with his arm talent. His motion needed some work and he didn’t have a ton of strength nor accuracy. Basically, he’s a work in progress, and has been since his freshman year.

That meant that James Blackman had to prove himself and become the clear starter for the Seminoles this spring, and I think he’s done just that, easing the minds of just about everyone.

Blackman needed to prove that he’s taken that next step and he did just that both as a passer and a leader. He was considering a transfer at one point but decided to stick it out and now there are high hopes for the kid who attempted just 51 passes last season, completing 65 percent of them for 510 yards and five touchdowns.

The junior has starting experience during his true freshman season and he’s finally ready for this opportunity. Can he continue the upward trend this summer and into the fall?