Should Florida State Worry That Deondre Francois Visited Florida?

One of the most intriguing parts of Florida State’s 2015 class is the trio of quarterbacks Jimbo Fisher has been able to land commitments from—with the headliner being 4-star Deondre Francois.

The biggest question surrounding recruitment was whether the ‘Noles would be able to keep Francois, 4-star athlete Kai Locksley—who committed to the ‘Noles for a chance to play quarterback—and 3-star passer De’Andre Johnson, who has already enrolled at FSU.

Francois raised some eyebrows when he took a visit to Florida over the weekend, just a week following his official to FSU. 

Is there cause for concern among Seminoles fans about Francois potentially flipping to the Gators? 

‘Noles fans don’t have to look too far back in history’s annals to find a similar scenario that didn’t end in their favor. 

Last year at this time, Fisher held a pledge from Treon Harris—who eventually flipped to the Gators on national signing day and subsequently was the starter for Florida when it traveled to Tallahassee to face the ‘Noles last November.

New Gators head coach Jim McElwain identified Francois early upon his arrival in Gainesville as a potential top quarterback target.

As Thomas Goldkamp of GatorBait notes, McElwain hasn’t been overly aggressive with his pitch to Francois—something that the 6’1”, 195-pounder said he appreciates.

“He's real cool,” Francois told Goldkamp last month. “I like his personality. He understands that I'm committed to Florida State, so he's not hassling me, telling me everything to make me decommit to Florida State. He's just letting me know because he knows my situation with two other quarterbacks committed with me, that he's just saying if I do decommit, I still have a spot at Florida.”

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A quick glance at both schools’ depth charts suggests that Florida could also offer an easier path to playing time.

With the transfer of Jeff Driskel, the Gators—who have yet to secure a quarterback pledge in the 2015 cycle—will bring back only three scholarship signal-callers in Harris, junior Skyler Mornhinweg and redshirt freshman Will Grier. 

Meanwhile, in addition to the trio of quarterback commits in the 2015 cycle, Fisher has junior Sean Maguire, sophomore John Franklin III and redshirt freshman J.J. Cosentino battling for the right to succeed Jameis Winston.

However, that doesn’t mean Francois isn’t a priority recruit for Fisher. According to Chris Nee of Noles247, Fisher is using his in-home visit with Francois on Monday, just a day after his official visit to Florida wrapped up.

Additionally, Josh Newberg of Noles247 reports that Francois’ mother has already been in communication with the FSU staff and reassured it of her son’s intention to sign with the ‘Noles.

Of course, nothing is official until Francois signs his letter of intent. Furthermore, recruiting has never lacked for drama in the final moments before national signing day.

However, given his skill set, his fit in the offense and the fact that Fisher has an established track record with developing quarterbacks, FSU fans should feel good about their chances in retaining Francois.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.