Francois to start at QB for Seminoles in opener
Redshirt freshman makes debut Sept. 5 against Ole Miss.
TALLAHASSEE — It seemed like a foregone conclusion since senior Sean Maguire was sidelined with a broken foot on the second day of preseason camp, but Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher finally made it official on Saturday: Redshirt freshman Deondre Francois will start at quarterback on Sept. 5 against Ole Miss.
Francois, a former fourstar recruit and the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2015, took all of the first-team snaps during Maguire’s time away from the team and also worked with the starters all spring as Maguire recovered from a separate injury.
“I f yo u d i d n’ t t h i n k i t (Francois starting) was official a long time ago, I’m worried about you,” Fisher joked to reporters.
Francois, who grew up in the Orlando area, will make his college debut in his hometown during the season opener at Camping World Stadium. The 6-foot2, 205-pounder has earned rave reviews from teammates and coaches for his natural ability and work ethic.
In the spring game, he completed 15 of 22 passes 205 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Although Francois entered camp as co-No. 1 with Maguire, teammates say he long has carried himself like the starter.
“He always had that swagger about him: ‘Whenever my shot is, I’m gonna make the best of the opportunity,’ ” j u n i o r r e c e i v e r T r a v i s Rudolph said. “That’s how he takes it.” And I like that about Deondre.”
FSU’s quarterback depth, which has been a concern due to Maguire’s injury and the recent suspension of highly touted freshman Malik Henry, might be a little better than anticipated.
Maguire originally was expected to be out until the second or third week of the season, but he returned to limited duty at practice Friday and Saturday.
Fi sher said it’s still too early to know whether Mag u i r e wou l d b e h e a l t hy enough to play in the opener.
Strength coach charged with DUI: Fl or i da S t at e strength and conditioning coach Vic Viloria has been charged with driving under the influence and property damage.
Ac c o r d i n g t o a p o l i c e report, Viloria was arrested S a t u r d ay mor n i n g a f t e r police found him asleep at the wheel at an off-ramp near downtown. Officers tried to wake Viloria before be drove away. He traveled up an embankment and hit an electronic crosswalk sign.
Viloria told police that he was coming back from work, where he had multiple alcoholic drinks in his office on campus. Viloria, 37, was taken into custody and had blood-alcohol content levels of 1.24 and 1.25. He was released from Leon County jail Saturday afternoon.
Fisher declined to comment on Viloria’s arrest after Saturday’s practice. Director of Football Communications Zach Stipe said the school is aware of the incident and is in the process of gathering more information. Stipe added that since the issue falls under the university’s human resources policies for employees, they could not comment further.