FSU Football: Why James Blackman must shine during spring game

FSU football will be breaking in their new…well, their old…starting quarterback against when they take the field Saturday for their spring game.

Last season, there was a growing feud among the FSU football fan base about who the starting quarterback of the Seminoles should be – a feud that started when the team struggled to open the season and head coach Willie Taggart was reluctant to pull the trigger on a switch from starter Deondre Francois to backup James Blackman.

The Noles had the luxury of being two deep at a position where they were the only team in college football to have both players coming into last season with at least 12 games as a starter under their belt after Blackman was the fill-in during the 2017 season following Francois’ impressive performance during the 2016 campaign.

With the departure of Francois following his dismissal from the team, FSU football has officially turned over the keys to the offense – essentially the third one in three seasons with Kendal Briles now leading that unit as coordinator – back over to the skinny redshirt sophomore that fans screamed for toward the end of last season.

Florida State Seminoles Football

For Blackman, the honeymoon period is over and it is time for him to not just be good like he was in 2017 or better like he was in the N.C. State game last season he started – now, Blackman has to be near perfect or risk becoming the next person to catch the wrath of the FSU football fan base.

It’s not a fair thing, but there are some in the garnet and gold who have unrealistic expectations based on the dynasty era that took place almost two decades ago or the national title from the 2013 season that was a once in a generation team of talent – and that’s why Blackman has a short leash when it comes to this season.

The most popular player is always the backup quarterback – hell, Sean Maguire had plenty of love when he was backing up arguably the best college football quarterback in the last few decades in Jamies Winston. Now, Blackman is going to go from being Mr. Poplular to Mr. Number One Target.

Blackman was able to get away with some mistakes during the 2017 season because he was a true freshman less than a year removed from playing high school football in South Florida. Those mistakes won’t be tolerated in 2019 – even more so because of how he threw for over 400 yards against a bad N.C. State pass defense in his only start last season.

Saturday afternoon, Blackman has his chance to show he has the command of the FSU football offense and Briles’ new system for the first time during the annual spring game – and while it’s not the same as facing a Clemson or Florida in real action, it’s the first chance for him to ease some of the pressure heading into the regular season.

It will also be the chance where he can cement the starting spot ahead of the arrival of Alex Hornibrook this coming summer and the possibility of having Jordan Travis be eligible this season.

So, while there is no actual winner when FSU football leaves the field on Saturday, there is a chance for the man under center to be the biggest winner or loser depending on what takes place.