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Florida State football getting closer to naming starting quarterback, Willie Taggart says

Deondre Francois' understanding of the offense is behind the others, but the gap isn't big.
 
Published Aug. 19, 2018|Updated Aug. 19, 2018

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State coach Willie Taggart isn't ready to announce who will start at quarterback when the Seminoles open against Virginia Tech in two weeks.

But a decision is getting closer.

"How close? Closer than we were the first day we started training camp," Taggart said Sunday morning during FSU media day. "We're getting there."

Although Deondre Francois looked the sharpest last week at IMG Academy, Taggart said James Blackman and Bailey Hockman have a better understanding of his Gulf Coast offense. That's because Francois was still recovering from a knee injury during spring practice, so he started preseason camp behind.

"It's not like he's that far back," Taggart said.

Francois agreed. Even though Francois is coming from behind mentally, FSU's 2016 starter said his skillset fits the quick reads and running Taggart wants.

"I feel very comfortable where I'm at now," Francois said.

All three potential starters stressed that the battle remains friendly. Blackman said it's only a competition during practice, but players are focused on forming bonds before and after drills.

"We're not trying to make it be one of those things where everybody has so much hate in the room," Blackman said. "We can't have that around here, because we had too much of that last year."

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The quarterbacks are handling the battle in different ways. While Blackman said he can compartmentalize it, Hockman admits feeling anxious.

"Everybody would be," the redshirt freshman said. "But I'm excited. I think I've got a good shot."

How good? Coaches aren't saying. And they might not say anything anytime soon.

"We've got two weeks to make a choice," offensive coordinator Walt Bell said, "and we'll take as much time as we need."