FSU Football Depth Chart: Projecting Post-Spring Starting Lineup
By Kelvin Hunt
As FSU football spring camp is concluding, here’s a look at how we predict the ‘Noles depth chart will shake out heading into the summer.
The fun things about FSU spring football is looking at how some of the position battles are unfolding and trying to project who the starters will be.
We don’t have any crystal balls and there’s a ton of talent on the roster. In some cases, there’s no such thing as a “starter” because FSU uses lots of rotations and situational players.
Here’s how we think things could potentially shake out as spring camp ends:
Quarterback
Projected Starter: Deondre Francois
Back Up: Bailey Hockman
Backup #2: JJ Cosentino
Likely Redshirt: James Blackman
FSU football will have Francois back under center in 2017 after a very good redshirt freshman season that saw him capture ACC Player of the Year honors.
It’s not even a race as he’s competing against what he did last season.
The real battle is the backup position. Four-star early enrollee and true freshman Bailey Hockman is vying to take over the backup position as redshirt junior JJ Cosentino tries to stay relevant.
Walk-on Jake Rizzo is in the mix too as all of them saw reps in the spring game on Saturday.
If I had my choice, I’d already make Hockman the backup in the event that Francois went down with an injury or had to miss a game. He looked more poised than Cosentino and made some good throws while also showing some mobility in the pocket against pressure.
The biggest hurdle is how much of the offense can he grasp and feel comfortable with. As the son of a coach, he’s been around the game a long time and the word is he’s ahead of schedule.