Florida State QB Deondre Francois out for the season with patella tendon injury

Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois is out for the year after suffering a patella tendon injury in the loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The worst fears were confirmed on Sunday evening. Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois is out for the year. The Seminoles quarterback suffered a patella tendon injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the season, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Francois was hit awkwardly in the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to No. 1 Alabama. Francois rolled out to his right and was sacked from behind by Alabama’s Ronnie Harrison.

At the time of the injury, it looked like Francois had suffered a devastating injury that would keep him off the field for a significant amount of time. You have to be careful about speculating at the time, but the large brace on his knee after the game told the story that an MRI and doctors would confirm.

Francois’ injury leaves Florida State vulnerable. After losing to Alabama, the Seminoles will likely have to go undefeated the remainder of their schedule to have a chance at the College Football Playoff. Doing that without their second-year starter will be that much more challenging.

With Francois sidelined, he may seek a medical redshirt to preserve a year of eligibility.

Francois was counted on being a stabilizing force for the offense that lost running back Dalvin Cook and wide receiver Travis Rudolph to the NFL. Now the pressure is on freshman James Blackman who is likely the first man up to start under center. Blackman replaced Francois in the closing moments of the 24-7 loss from Atlanta’s Mercedez-Benz Stadium.

Florida State hosts Louisiana Monroe in their home opener on Saturday.

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Should Blackman get the nod as the starter, Florida State will likely have an all-freshman backfield with running back Cam Akers.