Deondre Francois named Florida State starting quarterback vs Ole Miss

Jimbo Fisher has named Deondre Francois as the next starting quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles before they open with Ole Miss on Labor Day.

On Saturday afternoon, Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher announced that it would be redshirt freshman Deondre Francois who will be the team’s starting quarterback for their Week 1 opener against the Ole Miss Rebels at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

Florida State found itself in a bit of a bind when presumed starter Sean Maguire broke his ankle in practice on August 10th. He had surgery on his right foot and should miss four to six weeks in his senior season. Maguire played in eight games last year for Florida State, completing 59.3% of his passes for 1,520 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Francois is a former four-star dual threat passer from Orlando. He played at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, and was the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the country in the 2015 high school graduating class.

Florida State enters the 2016 NCAA season as the No. 4 team in the country. The Seminoles have a Heisman hopeful at running back in Dalvin Cook, but are especially thin at quarterback. Florida State might have one of the deepest rosters in the country, but quarterback depth might be an issue for the Seminoles all season long.

With nine days until kickoff at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, the Seminoles will have to rally behind Francois when they take on the No. 11 Rebels. Ole Miss has one of the better passers in the country in senior Chad Kelly, but have never run the football consistently under head coach Hugh Freeze.

Next: Ranking The 30 Best Traditions In College Football

Should Francois play conservatively, hand the ball off to Cook a ton, and let his strong Seminoles defense shine, then he can begin his NCAA career with an impressive neutral-site victory versus Ole Miss.