It’s not often that a three-year starter transfers to another school, and it’s even more rare when that player fails to win the starting job. That’s what happened at Florida State though, as the Seminoles announced they would head into the season with James Blackman as their starting quarterback last night.
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Blackman is entering his third season at Florida State. Blackman was the starter for most of the 2017 season, taking over for Deondre Francois when Francois suffered a season-ending injury against Alabama in the opener. He filled in admirably considering he was a true freshman, completing over 58 percent of his passes for over 2,200 yards on the season.
Blackman took a backseat to Francois again last year, only playing in four games. He put up big numbers in a loss to North Carolina State, completing 29 of 46 passes for 421 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. That was his only real action on the year though, and FSU redshirted him after the game.
He came into the year as the favorite to win the job even though two transfers joined the Seminoles. Alex Hornibrook started 32 games in three seasons at Wisconsin, and he was hoping to win the job. This is Hornibrook’s final year of eligibility, but he was unable to beat out Blackman. Louisville transfer Jordan Travis was the other contender for the starting job.
After the move was announced, offensive coordinator Kendal Briles said of Blackman:
“He’s not the best runner in the world, he’s not the strongest arm in the world,” Briles said. “But when you put everything together, he’s a dang good quarterback.”
Willie Taggart is under some pressure entering his second season at Florida State. The Seminoles’ NCAA record consecutive bowl streak came to an end after a 5-7 campaign, and he is hoping that Blackman could succeed in his quick strike offense. Florida State opens its season against Boise State in Jacksonville on Saturday, August 31.
H/T 247 Sports
