Seminoles QBs battle, but bond

Francois may start Saturday, but he still supports backup Blackman.

TALLAHASSEE — Deondre Francois said Tuesday morning he believes he will start at quarterback Saturday against No. 3 Notre Dame if everything goes as planned this week.

“I’m still the No. 1 guy,” he said. “Coach [Willie] Taggart continues to make that clear. James [Blackman] understands that, but James is always ready. Always ready to go if anything happens to me.”

Francois discussed how his ribs are healing as well as his recovery from a concussion he suffered recently.

“Last week, I was focused on getting back out, focusing on my concussion, but I feel great now and we’ll see how practice goes,” he said.

Francois and Blackman took snaps with the first team during Tuesday’s practice. While Francois believes he’s still the starter, he said he has a responsibility to help Blackman along in case the backup needs to play.

“I just let him know what I’m seeing,” he said. “Let him know little things he can do to get the ball out quicker and let him know to keep his composure and stay calm. Just let him know he’s got to quiet the storm out there, and he did a great job.”

Despite a cryptic Instagram post by Francois that read, “Everybody wanna take your spot, until they find out what it takes to play your position on my soul,” Francois said he has developed a bond with Blackman and they are cheering on each other during a tough season.

LANCE KING/GETTY FSU backup quarterback James Blackman led the Seminoles against NC State on Saturday and has split first-team reps with starter Deondre Francois this week.

LYNNE SLADKY/AP Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois believes he is still the Seminoles’ top quarterback and will lead the offense at Notre Dame on Saturday if he’s healthy.