Life After Jameis: What Is the Future at QB for Florida State?
The spotlight on Tallahassee has dimmed, at least temporarily. With the mass exodus of talent from Florida State—headlined by the departure of its former Heisman Trophy-winning, headline-grabbing quarterback—expectations for the Seminoles have cooled to room temperature for the upcoming season.
There are holes along the offensive line. There are large holes at tight end and wide receiver. There are holes along the defensive line and in the secondary. But for all these notable vacancies and empty roster spots scattered across Jimbo Fisher’s evolving depth chart, none are more glaring than the one at quarterback.
Jameis Winston’s brief tenure at Florida State was chaotic. There is no other way to put it. Without him, however, the Seminoles would have never won a national championship in 2013. They also wouldn't have come just short of another last season.
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His wizardry against the clock and under duress gave Florida State a chance, even when the prospects looked bleak. But now, much like many of his talented teammates, he’s gone.
What’s left is a roster ripe with talent and a group of quarterbacks with ample promise and even more questions. This group will take center stage this weekend as Florida State celebrates its offseason with a spring game. A starter could be named shortly after.
There is a defined hierarchy of hopefuls—at least starting at the top—though the player who ultimately replaces Winston may not actually be on campus yet. Taking this uncertainty one cryptic step further, the next great quarterback at Florida State might not be on the roster this season.
The Favorite
In September of last year, the football world learned the name Sean Maguire. After Winston was suspended—at first for one half but later for a full game—Maguire was thrown into action against Clemson, one of the premier defenses in the nation and a critical conference foe.
Given the circumstances, Maguire played well. He looked inexperienced, nervous and slightly out of place, but it was anticipated that he would look inexperienced, nervous and slightly out of place. The 6'3", 224-pound QB also flashed brightly at moments—throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown.
Most important to its eventual College Football Playoff appearance, Florida State eked out a win.
Seven months and many reps later, the soon-to-be redshirt junior is in line to be the starting quarterback for the upcoming season. His head coach has not been shy in admitting that.
“If I had to bet right now, yes, but we’ll wait and see,” Fisher told Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com when asked whether Maguire would be the starter next year. “As of right now, he’s done the things he needs to be doing.”
Maguire certainly feels like the safe option, and perhaps that’s not doing his ability the appropriate justice. The reality is that we simply don’t know—not with such limited reps. Unless something drastically changes on Saturday in the FSU spring game, he could be named the starter shortly after.
What happens from there is another conversation entirely.
The Hopefuls
There are four potential starting quarterbacks currently on Florida State’s roster. Please take note of the word “currently” and store it for later use.
Joining Maguire are John Franklin III, J.J. Cosentino—both were with the team last season—and freshman early enrollee De'Andre Johnson.
Franklin, who redshirted in 2013, is the most athletic quarterback on the roster. He’s taken reps at wideout, run track and been a valuable asset on the scout team. When the Seminoles played a mobile quarterback, Franklin assumed the role in practice. Given his range of skills, he fit this position quite nicely. He’s also still incredibly raw.
Cosentino was a true freshman in 2014 and the No. 13-rated pro-style quarterback in the class of 2014, according to 247Sports. He has the size—listed at 6'4" and 237 pounds—and a big arm to go with that size. For further proof of the mortar sitting on top of his shoulder, here he is throwing a football over a four-story building.
The rest of Cosentino’s game is relatively unknown. Clearly, he has the tools necessary to succeed at the position, although he’s a wild card—and an underdog—in this race.
The same can be said about Johnson, who is still acclimating himself to the college lifestyle and Florida State’s offense. Johnson, 247Sports’ No. 11 dual-threat quarterback in the 2015 class, has electric ability. He’s also remarkably raw and listed at 6'0" and 175 pounds on his recruiting profile.
Much like the others mentioned above, there is plenty to like about Johnson’s game. He’s a playmaker, though the buzz over his potential to start hasn’t exactly blossomed this spring, nor would you expect it to. There is still so much for him to learn.
The Wild Card
The most intriguing and enticing quarterback option of the whole bunch isn’t even there just yet. Deondre Francois—still months away from arriving on campus—doesn’t seem the least bit worried when it comes to the steep challenge ahead.
When speaking of Winston in a Bleacher Report piece earlier this year, Francois seemed comfortable with the idea of being next in line.
“He’s a good player,” Francois said of Winston. “But I like to play my own game, have my own swag.”
Yes, 247Sports’ No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2015 has plenty of it. He also has plenty of game, too.
Though he’s listed as a pro-style quarterback, Francois also brings plenty of speed to his game. He’s not a towering prospect just yet at 6'1" and 195 pounds, but he was one of the best deep-ball throwers in the class.
In terms of overall ability, Francois might be, in time, the best quarterback on the roster. Given the fact that he won’t have the benefit of spring practice, he will likely spend the better part of camp simply settling in.
The likelihood of him starting in the first game is remote, especially as Fisher seems to lean more toward experience with his complex offense. Remember, it took Winston—one of the sharpest football minds out there—a redshirt season to learn the ins and outs of Fisher's system.
That doesn’t mean Francois won’t play this upcoming year. Clearly, he’s entering with eyes on the opening. But it would take a miraculous early impression for such an unlikely scenario to be considered, confident or not.
The Future
To truly replace Winston, you can’t simply name a starter. Technically, the individual dubbed the starter for the team’s first game against Texas State will be his replacement, but this does little to guarantee short- or long-term success.
Winston’s replacement may not be on the roster this spring. Heck, he may not be on the roster by the time Florida State’s upcoming season comes to a close.
Malik Henry, 247Sports’ No. 9 player overall and No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2016, is currently garnering rave reviews in the high school ranks. And yes, the new IMG Academy product just so happens to be a Florida State verbal commit.
Although a lot can happen in the recruiting world between now and signing day, Henry already has his sights set on an early arrival.
"I'm graduating early, so in a few months, I'll officially be a Seminole," Henry told Bleacher Report’s Sanjay Kirpalani.
Assuming Henry will be the next great quarterback at Florida State is a magnificent stretch, at least as it stands in April. Recruiting is a strange, unpredictable craft, and projecting young quarterbacks is an art form that has yet to be mastered. But there’s no denying his enormous potential and possible presence on the roster. Regardless of what happens this fall, Henry could shift the depth chart simply by showing up.
But that won’t be, at the very earliest, until the end of the year. By that point, perhaps a quarterback will have unexpectedly grabbed the baton from the best quarterback in the country and taken off running.
This is not about finding the next Jameis Winston. In all likelihood, you’ll be searching for a while. This is about finding a quarterback capable of winning games through whatever means necessary. It's about winning games and keeping the momentum churning, and Florida State, despite the exodus, has a great deal of it.
Maguire will likely be the one who gets the first crack to keep things moving forward, and he could very well outperform modest expectations.
With a young core of wideouts, a future star at running back and talent scattered throughout an inexperienced and youthful roster, Maguire won’t have to be his successor’s reincarnation for the Seminoles to be better than anticipated. And whether he does or not, Florida State will have no shortage of quarterback options.
More help, whether the Seminoles need it or not, is coming.
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