FSU Football: QB group ranked among top 10 in FBS entering 2018
By Jason Parker
FSU football has a great problem to have entering this season with three quarterbacks who could start right now for most if not all FBS programs.
Throughout the spring practice portion of 2018 for the FSU football team, one of the main questions is who would end up being the starting quarterback for the Seminoles once the 2018 season kicks off against Virginia Tech – a good problem to not have an answer for yet considering the options that are out there.
The Noles right now have two legit quarterbacks – rising redshirt junior Deondre Francois and rising sophomore James Blackman – who have a season of starting under their belts and could easily start for most if not all FBS programs this coming season.
Heck, even the man who is considered the third best out of the group (rising redshirt freshman Bailey Hockman) is someone who showed his talents during the spring and honestly threw his name into the ring for the competition and made some FSU football fans take notice.
The trio of signal callers have the quarterback room in Tallahassee among the best in the nation. Recently, CBSSports.com ranked the top 25 groups at that position in college football heading into the season with the Seminoles getting a spot just inside the top 10.
"After a missed season because of injury, (Francois) is in a battle just to win his starting job back from Blackman. That may be bad for Francois, but it’s great for FSU’s room. The Seminoles new QB coach overachieved with Maryland’s talent and should do well with Florida State."
Of course, that QB coach is also the offensive coordinator for FSU football as Walt Bell will dive in once the fall practice schedule begins with head coach Willie Taggart to decide which one of the talents will handle the snaps first come the opener against the Hokies.
For many, it’s a two horse race between Francois and Blackman for the job – with conventional wisdom saying Blackman is more suited for the Gulf Coast offense while Francois showed during his 2016 FSU football season that he has a toughness unmatched by many while coming with quality wins over big name opponents.
Next: Willie Taggart happy with QB progress ahead of 2018
Either way, the Seminoles are going to be in good hands come the 2018 season – and if another injury takes place or something else disastrous, it at least is comfortable to know that there are several quality backups ready to step in.