WARCHANT.COM: Late collapse, injury cast pall over FSU season

Florida State received devastating news Sunday as the Seminoles learned that starting quarterback Deondre Francois would be out for the season after suffering a knee injury in Saturday night’s 24-7 loss to Alabama in Atlanta. All signs point to true freshman James Blackman taking over the job, but it’s possible the ‘Noles will have to use multiple quarterbacks to fill Francois' shoes. So who are the candidates to do that and how were they ranked as recruits? We take a look back.

It took a while for Blackman’s recruitment to heat up and by the time he picked up an offer from Florida State, in July of 2016, the 'Noles already had a commitment from three-star prospect Bailey Hockman. But Blackman’s camp performance in front of the Florida State coaches was enough to earn him an offer and he quickly committed to the ‘Noles over West Virginia and Louisville. He didn’t arrive on campus until the summer but finished camp as the No. 2 quarterback behind Francois.

Initially ranked as one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects in the class of 2017, Hockman committed to Georgia prior to his junior season over several major offers. But once Mark Richt was fired Hockman re-opened his commitment, considering North Carolina before committing to the Seminoles in the spring of 2016. Hockman was an early enrollee for the ‘Noles and was listed as the third-string quarterback on the depth chart heading into the Alabama game. It remains to be scene if he or J.J. Cosentino will serve as Blackman’s backup.

A four-star in the class of 2014, Cosentino played in a high school offense that limited his opportunities as a passer. Still the Seminoles saw enough of him to take his commitment nearly a year before Signing Day. Despite his raw ability that earned him offers from Penn State and USF in addition to his high ranking, Cosentino has yet to turn his potential into quality play on the field. Over various mop up appearances in 2015 and 2016, he’s thrown for 46 yards and one touchdown.

A one-time five-star in the class of 2016, Henry committed to Florida State more than a year prior to Signing Day and his addition was viewed as a major recruiting win for the ‘Noles. But Henry ran into trouble before he ever arrived in Tallahassee, first transferring from his home in California to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. But never played a game for the Ascenders and finished his high school career at a third high school in California. Henry enrolled early at Florida State and played well in the spring, only to be suspended for multiple games to start the 2016 season. He eventually transferred from Florida State in December and is now at Independence Community College in Kansas, where he’s expected to appear on Season 3 of the Netflix documentary “Last Chance U.”

Like Francois, Johnson was a four-star member of the class of 2015 but he made his commitment to the ‘Noles just prior to his sophomore year of high school. Johnson arrived in Tallahassee looking to compete for playing time, but was dismissed from the team after being arrested for battery in an incident that received national media attention. Johnson eventually transferred to East Mississippi Community College where he appeared on Season 2 of "Last Chance U". He signed with Florida Atlantic in December 2016 and appeared in the Owls' season-opening loss to Navy, passing for five yards.