FSU Football: Breaking Down The Two Man Race For Starting QB

As FSU football continues fall practice and prepare for the 2016 season, the question about who will start at quarterback is down to just two men.

When FSU takes the field on offense for the first time in their 2016 season opener against Ole Miss, many of the positions already have players we know will be the starter, barring injury or suspension.

Dalvin Cook is guaranteed to be in the backfield at running back…Travis Rudolph will be in the flat as one of the starting wide receivers…while Roderick Johnson will be protecting the quarterback’s blind side on the offensive line.

Yet, we still don’t know which blind side he is going to be protecting under center.

Much like last season, the quarterback battle is the lingering question that hangs over FSU football until Jimbo Fisher makes a decision about who will start. On paper, there are four names that are competing for who will be the main man come September 5th.

In reality, it’s a two man race.

That’s nothing at all against Malik Henry, who is still learning the system after being on campus for about seven months. It’s nothing personal against J.J. Cosentino, who had a less than memorable spring game performance and might want to think about moving on after his degree is completed.

It’s just that Deondre Francois and Sean Maguire are a step above the others at this point and have made it a two horse race for who will take the field first against the Rebels. For Maguire, it’s the second straight year of thinking it was going to be his team only to potentially be beaten out. For Francois, it’s the chance to follow in the steps of the last great quarterback recruit who started as a redshirt freshman – a man by the name of Jameis Winston.

The Case For Deondre Francois

In the former prep star from Orlando who finished his career at IMG Academy under former FSU star quarterback Chris Weinke, you get a player who can legit beat opponents with his arm and his legs. Ever since his senior season of high school and while working during his redshirt year in 2015, Francois has become a better passer by the day.

The Seminoles are going to face some of the toughest defenses in the country this season. The schedule includes eight teams who ranked in the top half of FBS teams last season (all ranked higher than 53rd and five inside the Top 20). A quarterback who is just sitting in the back of the pocket is going to be a sitting duck against teams like Clemson, Florida, Ole Miss, Louisville and more.

Another advantage playing in Francois’ favor is the fact that Fisher has not hesitated to encourage playing young quarterbacks, dating back to his time as an assistant at LSU and Auburn and continuing at FSU with Winston. If Francois can show poise and maturity in practice to go along with his skills, it will be his huddle come Labor Day.

The Case For Sean Maguire

In some cases, the most popular guy on the team can be the backup quarterback. When they enter a game (whether it be a blowout win or loss), fans tend to cheer loudly and want them to do well. Maguire has had plenty of time to experience those moments as he has sometimes been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

After coming down from New Jersey in the same recruiting class as Winston, Maguire spent his first two seasons on the field in mostly mop up duty – except for a memorable 2014 overtime win over Clemson in his first start. 2015 saw him finally look to be ready to take over for good…until Everett Golson transferred in for an experiment we will just say didn’t live up to the hype.

The point is that Maguire has paid his dues and, quite frankly, experience does help with the pro style offense that Fisher has installed with FSU football. That’s not a knock against Deondre, but just a fact. Maguire also has gone into hostile environments (Florida, Clemson, Peach Bowl) and could be a bit more on the calm side in a nationally televised game against a SEC power (all be it with a much bigger FSU fan advantage with the game being in D12’s hometown).

It’s not as if either player really has an advantage, at this moment, that says they are clearly in the front runner’s spot. Maguire was listed as the starter on early depth charts, but Francois has gotten reps with the first team since camp opened. Fisher has said that the job will be open until someone wins it. Judging by that, we could be in for a long waiting period with the talent that each player brings to the field this season.