A Way-Too-Early Look at the Situation Behind Center

I realize it's May and we are over three months away from the start of the season. I do. But hypotheticals about your favorite sports team are always fun. I was watching the NBA playoffs over a few beers with friends the other night. Seeing as we are all lifelong Seminole fans, the most obvious question of this season came up. Who will replace Jameis? What does the future at the position look like? We talked about it at length, excited about all of the options, debating every possible side of controversy.

Looking at the potential candidates, Jimbo Fisher has lots of depth to choose from. As of right now, everyone expects him to name Sean Maguire as the heir-apparent to Jameis' throne in the fall. But we don't quite see it that way and for Jimbo, it's certainly not that easy. There are a lot of factors to think about when forecasting the position and the potential starters are all very different based on talent, size, experience and personality. Let's take a look (Images and numbers from Seminoles.com):



#10 Sean Maguire (RS Junior, 6'3", 224)

• Only quarterback on roster with in-game experience.
• 21 of 39 for 304 yards against Clemson last year who by the way finished #1 in total defense last year.
• Has also played in other games during mop-up duty vs Citadel, Wake Forest, and Oregon.
• Spring Game: 22 of 44 for 289 yards, 2 Int (one to a true freshman, another to a walk-on).

This is your veteran. While the numbers were slightly deceiving, he did play well enough against the nation's top defense to win in one of the most intense atmospheres in the history of Doak. He made lots of crucial throws in this game - most notably the one to Rashad Greene late in the game that sent the stadium into vocal explosion. While this performance was extremely admirable, let's not forget that Clemson missed multiple red-zone opportunities and also that Maguire threw what should have been the game-losing interception. Following that interception, Jimbo did not let him throw another pass in the game despite there being time on the clock for a possible game-winning drive. There's lots of different ways to look at this kid's performance on such a huge stage but I see him as someone who would come in and simply be average.

#11 Jonathan Franklin (RS Sophomore, 6'0", 183)

• Scout team offensive MVP his freshman year.
• All-ACC track and field star.
• Missed spring game due to injury.

Franklin is a special athlete who reportedly gave wide receiver a try during practice last year. He was a huge help in preparation to the 2013 National Championship, mimicking speedster Nick Marshall of Auburn. I don't think wide receiver will ever be an option again or he would have stayed there and his freakish athleticism likely won't get him behind center in a Jimbo Fisher offense. Hopefully he can see the field at some point and make an impact; he is a hard worker and a great athlete.

#16 J.J. Cosentino (RS Freshman, 6'4", 237)

• Consensus 4-star prospect coming out of high school in Pittsburgh.
• Spring Game: 7-11 for 177 yards, 1 TD (65 yard pass to true freshman George Campbell).

J.J. is very interesting to me. He's smart, he knows the system because he has been here for over a year already, he has a big arm and he's also a confident guy. This is a player Jimbo really wanted because he was the only quarterback of the 2014 class. I've heard people call him CoseMarino relating to Dan Marino because he comes from the same high school, plus the big arm, so you can take that for what its worth.

In my opinion, he is pretty raw right now, much like the rest of these quarterbacks. He has the arm, size, and potential and he's been around the program, so I think if he starts and plays this whole year you could see him as a potential first round pick down the road.

Also he tweeted this awhile back which is kind of funny.

#14 DeAndre Johnson (Freshman, 6'0", 177)

• Four-star prospect according to both ESPN.com and Rivals.com.
• Led Team Armor with 71 yards of total offense in this year's UA All-American Game.
• Committed to FSU in 2012 and never wavered despite offers from just about every major college program, also started all four years at First Coast High in Jacksonville, Fl.
• Early enrolled this past spring and saw time in the spring game
• Spring Game: 8-11 for 155 yards, 2 TD (Very impressive 42 yard bullet to Ermon Lane just before halftime)

From what I've collected, Johnson completely dominated high school - his career record was 46-5. Many people who know more about FSU football have said that they expect Jimbo to eventually move him to receiver. I really like this kid, he seems to work extremely hard and has a charismatic personality that could make him a great leader. He reminds me a lot of Franklin as far as being undersized, crazy athletic and having a laser arm, but I hope he does not end up on the sideline his entire career behind guys who better fit the mold of what Jimbo wants.

Deondre Francois (Freshman, 6'1", 195)

• Consensus four-star prospect.
• Coached by Chris Weinke at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
• Threw for 103 yards and a touchdown in the UA All-American game, defeating Deondre Johnson's team 46-6. (4 of 4 when throwing to our own George Campbell).

Francois comes off as the pretty boy, cool kid. He has a great swagger to him and is extremely gifted, probably more so than Johnson, but the question is his determination. His motion is so pretty and natural and he has great accuracy and arm strength. This kid reminds me of Clemson's Deshaun Watson and is likely going to be very special under Jimbo in the coming years.

So there you have it, five guys with legitimate shots to be the next face of Florida State football. One with a little taste of the big time, one with freakish athleticism and three freshman.
Talking about it, none of us wanted Maguire to start. Despite the numbers and victory last year vs Clemson, we all just felt uneasy with him behind center. It felt like he was holding us back as a unit. Jimbo made it obvious that he didn't trust Maguire to throw the ball late in that game after his second interception. I think that he will only restrict this team's ceiling and could take the place of another quarterback that should be developing, not to mention his Spring Game performance was subpar. He knows the playbook, is accurate on short throws, and is also very strong in the pocket, but he is as Richard Sherman would say, "mediocre at best".
If you look at the three freshman, they all have potential to be first round picks, in my opinion. This team has some very special parts to it and lots of offensive weapons. A 1,000-yard rusher in Dalvin Cook along with Mario Pender and highly-anticipated freshman Jacques Patrick in the backfield added to one of the tallest and deepest receiving corps in the nation, whichever quarterback selected will have no shortage of weapons to work with.
I think that Jimbo needs to take a chance on starting one of the younger quarterbacks. He has started a great deal of freshman in his time here and it wouldn't surprise me if he does pass up on Maguire and choose one of these young quarterbacks to take the reigns.
What I think (and hope) is that Cosentino wins out the job this year. With experience under his belt, he should be on his way to the NFL. With a few cupcakes to start the year, Jimbo may do some experimenting early on in the season with a few of the quarterbacks but hopefully the play doesn't force him to struggle with his decision. I believe Francois has the most potential out of this group but if he has an ego I think it would be good for him to get acclimated to the culture in Tallahassee before starting. Next year, of course, we'll have to add Malik Henry to the mix at the quarterback position.
The future is bright, especially with the recent recruiting success that will aid these quarterbacks in their quest. Hopefully this group produces Jimbo's fourth-straight quarterback taken in the first round of the NFL draft.
Do not forget that when Jameis Winston started as a freshman, we were only hoping for a solid season. Fans had no idea that we could be one of the most dominant teams in the history of college football. There is a lot of talent around these quarterbacks so anything is possible. Just saying.

(via seminolepost.blog.palmbeachpost.com) Francois, Cosentino, and Maguire.