ATLANTA -- If Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois is out for an extended period of time, head coach Jimbo Fisher announced after Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game that the team would go with freshman James Blackman at the position.
Francois exited the 24-7 loss to Alabama with what appeared to be a knee injury, the extent of which had not been revealed Sunday morning. Blackman replaced Francois to finish the game, and some teammates believe if Blackman has to play significant minutes moving forward, the team shouldn’t miss a beat.
“I have said it since the kid showed up on campus, he is a special kid,” center Alec Eberle said. “There is something about him. With football people, sometimes they have the ‘it’ factor. The kid’s got it. Whatever it is, he’s got it.”
Blackman, from Glades Central High in Belle Glade, Fla., was rated as the No. 7 pro-style quarterback last season by 247Sports.com. Blackman passed for 2,511 yards and 14 touchdowns at Glades Central in 2016, leading the Raiders to the Class 4A regional semifinals.
“He will do whatever it takes to win the game. I have full faith in him. He can throw the heck out of the football, he makes good decisions and he is a smart guy. I trust him 100 percent,” Eberle said. “He can move, he can run, he can throw, he is a tall guy. He can see over everything. He is a hustle guy. He can get the ball downfield quick. He has good presence so I think he is going to do well.”
Eberle said it’s going to be his and the rest of the offensive line’s job to make sure they keep Blackman upright. He said it was “unacceptable” that Francois hit the ground as much as he did against the Crimson Tide -- Francois was sacked three times and took a couple big hits.
All-American defensive back Derwin James echoed Eberle’s words saying he has confidence if the freshman is called upon to lead the Seminoles.
“He has been taking reps. He is on scholarship. He was highly recruited too,” James said. “And I feel like with the offensive line and the reps, yeah, I feel like he will be good.”
