The Warchant Wrap: Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 edition
The Big Deal: Maguire makes early return
Early Friday afternoon, Florida State University President John Thrasher singled out senior quarterback Sean Maguire during the team’s annual kickoff booster luncheon.
Thrasher asked Maguire to stand up before the crowd of about 1,000 fans, and then he told Maguire’s teammates that they could learn a lesson from the veteran quarterback’s “grit” and “determination.”
About four hours later, Maguire proved worthy of that praise.
Less than two weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot, Maguire returned to participate in the Seminoles’ Friday practice. Limping slightly, Maguire worked with the third-team offense during drills that were open to the media.
FSU coach Jimbo Fisher was not available to speak with reporters on Friday, but he said earlier in preseason camp that Maguire likely would be out until the second or third game of the season. Maguire broke his right foot on the second day of camp after recovering from a broken left ankle sustained in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Maguire and redshirt freshman Deondre Francois were competing for the starting job when camp opened, but Francois has taken virtually all of the first-team reps since Maguire’s injury. Even if Maguire is available to play in FSU’s season opener against Ole Miss on Sept. 5 in Orlando, it’s unlikely he would be able to wrest the starting job from Francois at this point.
Maguire would be a valuable backup, however, considering the Seminoles have only been practicing with two scholarship quarterbacks for the past week. True freshman Malik Henry has been out since last weekend when he was suspended for violating team policy, leaving Francois, sophomore J.J. Cosentino and walk-on freshman Jake Rizzo as the only options.
Henry was with the team during Friday’s kickoff luncheon, but he was not at practice.
Fisher should be able to provide an update on Maguire’s status when he speaks with the media on Saturday.
The second verse: Eberle's return solidifies offensive line
Sophomore center Alec Eberle, who had missed much of the past week after experiencing “concussion-like symptoms,” returned to full speed Friday.
With Eberle back in the lineup, the Seminoles appear to have their starting offensive line set for the season opener. Eberle is at center; juniors Rod Johnson and Rick Leonard are at left and right tackle, respectively; and senior Kareem Are and junior Wilson Bell are at left and right guard.
Tweet of the day
Injury report
In: WR George Campbell, CB Levonta Taylor, WR Nyqwan Murray, WR Ermon Lane and WR Jesus Wilson returned after missing time with injuries.
Out: DB Nate Andrews (calf), DE Keith Bryant (foot), DE Adam Torres (leg) and OL Cole Minshew (concussion symptoms) were held out again.
More coverage
* Highlights from FSU's annual Kickoff Luncheon on Friday (with video)
* More updates from Friday's practice
* Warchant TV goes 1-on-1 with safety Derwin James
* Jake Rizzo's journey from walk-on to FSU backup QB
* Warchant TV: Jimbo Fisher addresses the Marching Chiefs
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