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James Blackman replaces Deondre Francois in FSU game. Who is he?

Who is James Blackman?

James Blackman

So far on the season, James Blackman is 84-136 for 1047 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions for the Florida State Seminoles. His record as a starter is 2-3.


UPDATE: Deondre Francois will miss the remainder of the 2017 season due to the knee injury he sustained against Alabama.


UPDATE: Jimbo Fisher confirmed in his post-game press conference that Blackman will be FSU’s starting quarterback moving forward if Francois cannot play.

Florida State starting quarterback Deondre Francois went down with an injury late in their season-opening loss vs. Alabama. He left with an air cast on his leg and needed to be carted off the field.

After Francois left, true freshman James Blackman stepped onto the field as the first man up. With Francois’ current status up in the air, Blackman may see major snaps moving forward.

Although he wasn’t an early enrollee, Blackman possesses great arm talent. At 6-5, 185 lbs., he is a little light, but had a great fall camp from all reports and might be FSU’s primary option at backup quarterback.

A three-star recruit coming out of Glades Central High School (Belle Glade, FL), Blackman chose the Seminoles over Florida, West Virginia, and Louisville.

As we wrote earlier this year, Blackman has immense upside, but might need a few years to develop. If Francois is out for a while, he might be asked to be ready sooner, as Jimbo Fisher needs a new quarterback, and J.J. Cosentino hasn’t shown promise during his time in Tallahassee.