Editor's Note: With preseason practice just over a month away, Warchant is previewing the upcoming Florida State football season by looking at each position group on offense, defense and special teams. The second installment in our preview series is on the quarterbacks.
Earlier Previews: Running back |
The Big Picture
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when it seemed Jimbo Fisher would always have a perfect succession plan in place for his Florida State quarterbacks. When Christian Ponder was the starter, a young EJ Manuel was waiting in the wings. When Manuel was the starter, program insiders quickly realized Jameis Winston was the star of the future.
But the combination of Winston leaving early for the NFL, and other QBs departing for a variety of reasons, threw a wrench in Fisher’s plans in 2015. He ended up bringing in Notre Dame graduate transfer Everett Golson as a quick fix, and that decision yielded mixed results. Golson was good enough to help Florida State cruise to a 6-0 record in the first half of the season, but mistakes in the second half led to his replacement by fourth-year junior Sean Maguire.
Fast-forward to 2016, and Fisher’s quarterback situation still has not yet returned to normal. Maguire is coming back from a major ankle injury and is expected to be healthy for the start of preseason camp, but he is far from a shoo-in to win the job despite being a fifth-year senior.
Working in Maguire’s favor is his experience – he has played in 21 games, including six as a starter – as well as his toughness and leadership skills. But redshirt freshman Deondre Francois took most of the first-team reps during spring practice and is expected to share time with the starters when camp opens in early August.
