FSU COACH: BLACKMAN WILL ACCEPT BACKUP QB ROLE
Francois starts Monday’s opener against Va. Tech
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State quarterback James Blackman has been here before.
And new coach Willie Taggart is hoping Blackman’s experience in the backup role, along with Bailey Hockman’s familiarity as Blackman’s backup last season, will help them remain engaged despite Deondre Francois winning the starting job.
“I think with a guy like James, going through what we went through last year, he understands he’s got to be ready and not sit around or pout or anything,” Taggart said after announcing Francois as his starter over Blackman, a sophomore from Glades Central. “I mean just like that, he can be in the game, just like what happened before.
“I think we all know what kind of a guy James is and know that he will work his tail off to be ready, and the same thing with Bailey. He’s the same way. He’s going to work and compete and make sure he’s ready to go as well.”
Despite Blackman and Hockman getting a head start learning Taggart’s offense in the spring, Taggart said Francois’ ability to be more concise and careful with the football helped him win the job.
As Florida State prepared last week for its season opener Monday night against Virginia Tech at Doak Campbell Stadium, Francois took the first-team opportunities with the offense. He will be playing his first game since suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee during last season’s opener against Alabama.
Blackman, who replaced Francois as FSU’s starter as a true freshman, now will shift his focus to being Francois’ backup again, while Hockman aims to give Blackman stiff competition for the role.
Throughout the preseason, Blackman displayed a newfound level of confidence among teammates and coaches. If he stays true to his word, it should be no problem for him to stay engaged behind Francois.
“If I’m not the guy, I’m going to be the same person I’ve been since Day 1,” Blackman said during Florida State’s media day Aug. 19. “I’m going to cheer my teammates on. I’m going to come cheer (Francois) on and make sure he understands everything.
“I’m going to try and help him as much as I can because when he was down, he did his part. He helped me as much as he could. Every time I came to the sideline, he was talking to me, communicating.”
During FSU’s quarterback battle, Taggart often reiterated that the competition was not a two-horse race. Hockman, who enters his redshirt freshman season, continually earned Taggart’s praise.
Hockman figured he was an underdog in the competition, especially with Francois and Blackman each having a season of starting experience. While winning the starting job was always his dream, Hockman said during the first week of fall camp that he had no other goal than to win a national championship.
“Yes, I’d be disappointed, but at the same time, I think the best guy has to be out there,” Hockman said.
Florida State hopes to make up for last season’s 7-6 campaign during which the Seminoles started 2-5 and barely became bowl eligible under former coach Jimbo Fisher, who is now at Texas A&M.