Florida State’s Title Aspirations Are Torn (Literally)
Florida State not only lost their number three ranking this past weekend in their 24–7 loss to Alabama; but lost their redshirt sophomore quarterback Deondre Francois for the season with a torn patella tendon. This is a devastating blow to Florida State’s title aspirations as Jimbo Fisher is now forced to rely on a true freshman at the quarterback position. James Blackman is the first true freshman to start at quarterback for FSU in over 30 years.
Francois emerged a top performer last season as a redshirt freshman, passing for 3,350 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. Seminoles fans were hoping to see Francois build on last years effort, but now all eyes will fall on James Blackman as Francois begins a tumultuous recovery process.
Despite their impressive defense, FSU is at a major disadvantage without an experienced signal caller under center. We saw this first hand how sluggish the offense looked in the second half of the Alabama game, giving us an indication that things could start slow in the Blackman era. With the impending danger of Hurricane Irma imminent, FSU’s Thursday night game against Louisiana Monroe was cancelled. This puts Florida State at a disadvantage as the game against UL Monroe could have served as a warm up for next week’s date with the Miami Hurricanes. It would be difficult for anyone to debut in the midst of a rivalry game, let alone one against the number sixteen ranked Hurricanes. Simply speaking, the loss of their star quarterback has robbed the Seminoles of their high ceiling and transformed them into a mediocre team.
For those holding out hope that Blackman will be some sort of overnight miracle, it’s better to err on the side of caution. At 6-foot-5 Blackman does possess the frame necessary to be successful at the collegiate level, but it remains to be seen whether he is mentally ready to take on this opportunity. Experts rave about the potential of the young gunslinger and with limited options, Jimbo Fisher has put all of his faith in the 18-year-old.
To dig FSU’s grave even deeper, the Seminoles have to deal with the improved relative strength of their conference this year. In 2017, Miami and Virginia look vastly improved from the year before, not to mention the reigning national champion Clemson Tigers. Factor in reigning Heisman Trophy award winner Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals, and you have a pretty difficult path to the ACC championship in front of you.
It remains unlikely that Blackman will produce a virtuoso performance like that of Jameis Winston in 2013, FSU’s last National Championship season, but the future is bright for this young man. With a tough conference schedule, the loss of Francois will prove to be crucial for this Seminoles team. It seems that FSU fans will have to wait around for another year before their team competes for the National Title.
