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FSU Football: James Blackman ranked second best QB in Florida for 2018

By Jason Parker

GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 25: James Blackman #1 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass during the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 25: James Blackman #1 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass during the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
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FSU football is setting themselves up for one heck of a quarterback battle this coming season – and last year’s started continues to get national love.

In the final quarter of FSU football‘s opener to the 2017 season against the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Seminoles saw their entire season change when their starting quarterback Deondre Francois – who had been one of the top first year starters the season before – went down with a nasty knee injury that sidelined him for the entire year.

Into the starting lineup came James Blackman, a true freshman who was the size of a tooth pick and had been playing high school football less than a year before – but who grew as the season went on and finished with decent numbers for a true freshman while helping the Seminoles keep their bowl and winning season streaks alive.

Now, with both Blackman and Francois expected to be healthy for the 2018 campaign, the Seminoles are ready for what could be the best quarterback battle in the FSU football program history. For now, Blackman remains the name in the number one spot – which means all the analysis across the country revolve around him.

The latest one comes from Athlon Sports, who ranked the 130 starting quarterbacks across the FBS – and the man who wore No. 1 last season for the Seminoles finished pretty high and was the second highest of the seven FBS quarterbacks in the Sunshine State.

"5. McKenzie Milton, UCF30. James Blackman, Florida StateWith Deondre Francois on the mend from a season-ending leg injury, along with the arrival of a new coach (Willie Taggart) and scheme on offense. Over 12 appearances, Blackman threw for 2,230 yards and 19 touchdowns and connected on four passes of 50 yards or more. The winner of this battle should finish higher on this list by December. 39. Malik Rosier, Miami78. De’Andre Johnson, FAU94. Feleipe Franks, Florida99. Chris Oladokun, USF100. James Morgan, FIU"

Obviously, there is a clear gap in the Sunshine State between the top signal callers – including whoever will be slinging the ball for FSU football this season – and the rest of the state. Whether Blackman can keep his job or Francois can win it back, the Seminoles seem to be set for the upcoming season.

Next: Did James Blackman get better as season progressed in 2017?

While Blackman finished in the top 30, he did not find himself that far down on the list when it came to quarterbacks from the ACC – with the FSU football signal caller being ranked fifth best in the league behind N.C. State’s Ryan Finley (No. 13), Virginia Tech’s Josh Jackson (No. 19), Clemson’s Kelly Bryant (No. 20) and Syracuse’s Eric Dungey (No. 23)

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