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Florida State football, recruiting news: FSU among teams with most returning starters in 2016

By Curt Weiler
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Football

- Phil Steele broke down the returning starters for all FBS teams and, unsurprisingly, the Seminoles are tied for 5th with 17 returning starters, also tying them for third among Power Five teams and sole possession of second-most among ACC schools. (h/t to JNole for the find)

- Colin Becht of Sports Illustrated, named Deondre Francois among his 10 redshirt freshmen to watch entering 2016.

Deondre Francois, Florida State, QB

Learning Jimbo Fisher's offense takes time. Now that Francois has spent a year picking it up on the scout team, he should be ready to challenge Sean Maguire for the starting job. Francois, the No. 10 quarterback in last year's recruiting class, according to Scout.com, possesses a strong arm and has drawn comparisons to Deshaun Watson, whom he imitated in the Seminoles' practices before they faced Clemson. Maguire's ankle fracture, suffered in Florida State's Peach Bowl loss to Houston, further opens the door for Francois to claim the starting spot, as he should get the majority of reps during spring practices. If Francois can take charge of the offense this fall, it wouldn't be the first time a redshirt freshman quarterback became a star at Florida State.

- Chris Johnson, also of Sports Illustrated, put a bow on the 2015 season by addressing what every ACC team learned last season. Florida State's lesson is obvious but still very true

Florida State: Dalvin Cook is a Heisman contender

​Cook didn't generate as much buzz as Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry or LSU's Leonard Fournette last season, but he may have been the nation's best running back. The rising junior ranked second nationally in yards per carry (minimum 100 carries), recorded 19 rushing touchdowns and helped prop up Florida State's offense in the first season following the departure of former Heisman winner Jameis Winston. And Cook did all of that despite battling multiple injuries. What will he be able to do if healthy in 2016?

Recruiting

- Florida State offered a pair of future prospects in QB Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall player in the 2018 class and 2019 wide receiver Maurice Goolsby.

Alumni

- Jameis Winston sat down with MMQB's Peter King for an interview that spanned everything from what he learned during his rookie season to how he has handled the firing of Lovie Smith.

- Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News takes a glance at multiple aspects of the upcoming NFL Combine and what makes each portion important.

- Speaking of the NFL Combine, Tomahawk Nation's Andrew Miller compiled a preview of the former Seminoles who were invited to Indianapolis for this year's edition.

Other Sports

- Florida State basketball commit Trent Forrest went off for 36 points (18 in the fourth quarter) in Chipley High School's 56-53 win over Hamilton HS in the 1A State Semifinals. The final will take place Wednesday at 5 PM against Paxton.

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