FSU Football: Landing Wisconsin transfer QB best news of offseason

FSU football can take a deep breath with the news that there will actually be a backup quarterback to start 2019 that isn’t a walk-on with Sunday’s move.

Since the end of the 2019 signing day just over a month ago, the segment of FSU football fans who have been critical of head coach Willie Taggart have pointed out that the Seminoles didn’t sign a quarterback for the second straight class – which Taggart addressed by saying that the Seminoles had a plan.

One month later, it appears that Taggart was telling the truth and those naysayers might have to eat some crow with what has took place since signing day – including the news this past weekend that FSU football will actually have someone backing up James Blackman to start fall practice that has actually on-field knowledge.

Reported by the Tallahassee Democrat and other outlets, the Seminoles landed soon-to-be graduate transfer Alex Hornibrook – who spent nearly three seasons as the starting quarterback for the Wisconsin Badgers and will be joining the Noles starting this summer in Tallahassee.

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Now, of course the system the Badgers ran is nowhere close to what the Seminoles and new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles runs so I don’t think there are many people outside of the Hornibrook family who legit think that he is going to come into Tallahassee and overtake Blackman for the starting spot against Boise State on August 31st.

What this move does is give Taggart and FSU football that much needed quarterback depth that people have been freaking out about and accusing the Seminoles of not being ready for.

It’s a move that makes things more livable around the fact that the Noles have been waiting for word on whether the wavier for Jordan Travis would be approved, which it seems more and more likely will not take place and he will have to sit out 2019 after coming from Louisville as well as Wyatt Rector following his transfer from Western Michigan.

It means that if the offensive line is hot garbage for essentially a fourth straight season in 2019 and Blackman is unable to play at some point, FSU football now has a backup option who has 32 career starts in a Power Five conference that includes over 5,400 yards passing, 47 touchdowns and an Orange Bowl win over the hated Miami Hurricanes.

The last time the Seminoles brought in a grad transfer QB, there was expectations that Everett Golson was going to pick up where Jameis Winston left off – expectations that were never going to take place even before he missed games following a concussion and eventually left the team.

With Hornibrook, who missed several games last season after a concussion, the expectation at this point is simple: put on a garnet and gold uniform and be on the sideline just in case. Everything else is a positive for him and the team, so there is no way to look at this in a bad way without just being a negative person looking for any excuse to hate on Taggart.

It may not be the future at the quarterback position for FSU football, but for 2019 it’s two steps forward from what things looked like just over one month ago.