Francois faces uphill battle for starting quarterback job

TALLAHASSEE — Willie Taggart says Deondre Francois may be slightly behind the curve in learning Florida State’s new uptempo, spread offense after missing spring practice.

But Francois, who has recovered from a significant knee injury, is not significantly trailing James Blackman and Bailey Hockman for the starting quarterback job this fall.

“I think you can see where Bailey Hockman and James Blackman have a great understanding in what we’re doing. They’re probably a little ahead of Francois from that standpoint,” Taggart said.

“Those guys have a better understanding because they have more reps doing it.

“It’s been really good to see Deondre — it’s not like he’s that far back. He hasn’t had those reps [in spring], and he’s still able to come out and execute our offense.”

Francois, FSU’s 2016 starter and the ACC Rookie of the Year, is the presumed leader after accurate performances in practices open to the media during the first two weeks of the preseason.

But after an offseason with legal off-field distractions, Francois has also focused on being an ideal teammate.

“I want the starting job back really bad,” Francois said. “I know Bailey wants it, and I know James wants it. And I know coach Taggart and coach Bell will evaluate it and put the best man in the game.

“But whatever happens, I’m all for the team. I just want to team succeed. It’s not about me. It’s not about Bailey. It’s not about James. It’s about the Florida State Seminoles.”

Blackman, who was thrust into the starting role after Francois tore his patellar tendon against No. 1 Alabama in the opener, needs to work on his accuracy. But he continues to win over coaches and teammates with his improved confidence heading into his sophomore season.

“To be honest, I feel like whoever comes out and works the hardest should get the job,” Blackman said. “Whoever can show the 10 guys around them that they can make them better, they’ll get the job.”

Hockman, a redshirt freshman who saw his first college action during FSU’s spring game, may be the dark horse in the battle, but he continues to earn praise for his engagement in the competition.

“I think I’m for sure an underdog,” Hockman said. “I’ve got two guys that have played and two guys that have experience, but I think it all just pushes me to be better”

Offensive coordinator Walt Bell said Saturday’s scrimmage was the best day Francois had this preseason in terms of taking care of the football and making few mistakes.

While Taggart says Francois is not “that far back” in learning the offense, Bell disagrees.

Bell said the pace of the operation and decision making, along with wrinkles like run-pass option plays and perimeter screens, make the offense tough to grasp. It’s a freeflowing scheme that needs the quarterback to navigate some grey area while making decisions.

“Any time there’s a lot gray in that, it takes a lot of repetition to master some of that and he missed some of that. I think that’s a big deal,” Bell said of Francois. “The more reps we can get him, the better he’ll be.”

Florida State hosts Virginia Tech at Doak Campbell Stadium on Sept. 3 to open the 2018 season.