Take Two: Who will start at QB for Florida State?

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling a handful of issues in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and a local expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites.

MORE TAKE TWO: Can Florida gain recruiting momentum after sluggish start?

One of the most intriguing quarterback battle heading into this season is taking place at Florida State and there’s extra interest because it’s one of the first major decisions new coach Willie Taggart will make in Tallahassee.

Taking over for Deondre Francois, who was injured in a season-opening loss to Alabama last year, James Blackman finished throwing for 2,230 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. But the Seminoles also had only seven wins, tied for their lowest total since the 2009 season.

Blackman is back, seemingly more comfortable, and could be the leader Florida State’s offense is looking for.

But Francois is returning as well from that injury - and some off-the-field issues - and he’s incredibly talented. He was the starter last season before going down with the patella issue and in 2016 Francois threw for 3,350 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven picks.

Like always, Florida State should have the talent to compete with Clemson, Miami and others for a shot at the ACC title. But who will Taggart pick as his quarterback?

“I really think it’s still up in the air. If you go strictly by Taggart’s public comments, it seems very likely that Blackman will be the choice. Taggart has said repeatedly that he wants a quarterback who is a leader and commands the respect of his teammates, and Blackman clearly has a better track record in that area.

“At the same time, I get the sense Francois is still very much in contention. And if he cleans up his off-field image, there are some who believe he could be the better fit for Taggart’s offense. At the end of the day, I think Blackman will win out. But it wouldn’t shock me if Francois takes it, either.”

“The off-field stuff for Francois puts a little more of a cloud over the situation. You would think Francois coming back healthy, he would be the guy, but Blackman had a lot of experience last year. He wasn’t very good, but as a young quarterback they’ll probably go with him because he’s more of a natural fit for what Taggart wants to do offensively.

“If this were Jimbo Fisher, Francois would be the guy, but a new staff likes the young, athletic, more mobile quarterback. It’s hard to tell how it’s going to shake out but I would think Blackman is the guy.”