Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Francois to stay at FSU
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois announced Wednesday that he will be returning to school, using another year with the Seminoles to better prepare for the NFL.
In the post on his personal Instagram account, Francois wrote, “While my dream is to play in the NFL, at this time I feel that there are areas both within my game and my life I need to improve upon to succeed at the next level.”
Last month, Francois disputed reports that he was transferring and added that he was weighing his options in terms of entering the NFL draft.
In 11 starts this past season, Francois completed 226 of 396 passes for 2,719 yards, 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. During his 25-game career at FSU, he completed 57.9 percent of his 829 passes, for a total of 6,279 yards, 36 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts has taken an important step toward transferring.
Hurts entered his name into the NCAA transfer database portal on Wednesday, two people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the NCAA list is not publicly accessible.
Putting his name on the list allows other schools to contact Hurts, who has already graduated and is eligible to play his final season as a graduate transfer. It’s not a binding decision to transfer.
Hurts, a dual threat as a runner and passer, will likely be a hot commodity. He was a two-year starter who led Alabama to a pair of national championship games and was Southeastern Conference offensive player of the year as a freshman.
Alabama lost to Clemson in the national-championship game Monday night.
Hurts is likely to join other high-profile quarterbacks in moving to other schools. Georgia freshman Justin Fields, who had been one of the nation’s top recruits, has enrolled at Ohio State and former Clemson starter Kelly Bryant picked Missouri.
Hurts has not publicly discussed his plans beyond this season. Before the Tide’s semifinal game against Oklahoma, he would only offer “my story’s still unfolding. Just wait to see what’s next.”
Hurts played in 13 games, rushing for 167 yards and two touchdowns and passing for 765 yards and eight scores. He even caught two passes as he and starter Tua Tagovailoa lined up together at times.