Florida State names starting quarterback for opener against Boise State
Florida State announced its starting quarterback Sunday evening — picking the experienced James Blackman over Wisconsin transfer Alex Hornibrook and Louisville transfer Jordan Travis.
Blackman will duel with Boise State true freshman Hank Bachmeier in the season opener at 5 p.m. MT Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida (ESPN). Boise State named Bachmeier the starter on Saturday.
Blackman replaced the injured Deondre Francois as a true freshman in 2017, completing 58.2 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns. He started 12 games, including a game at Clemson.
Francois returned as the quarterback in 2019 and Blackman was limited to four games and one start, which allowed him to redshirt and return this year as a redshirt sophomore. He was 33-for-51 for 510 yards and five touchdowns. He tossed four TD passes in his start against North Carolina State. He also threw for 421 yards in that game — the 15th most by a Seminoles quarterback in program history.
“James is an unbelievable kid. Love James,” Florida State offensive coordinator Kendal Briles said, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. “His passion, his competitiveness, his belief in himself. So James is right where he needs to be. He’s hungry and he wants to eat.”
Hornibrook is a former starter at Wisconsin.
Blackman won over his team with the way he handled the unexpected playing time as a true freshman and the disappointment of sitting most of last year, according to a story posted on the Florida State athletics website.
“James Blackman is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met in my life,” defensive tackle Marvin Wilson said, according to the site. “I’ve never seen anybody know that they’re not going to play for a year and still come out and work their (rear) off like James did. … He’s a team leader. Anything James Blackman wants, I’ve got it for him.”
The Tallahassee Democrat wrote that Blackman has the most upside of the Seminoles quarterbacks and will give them the potential to throw deep with his arm strength.
“He’s an underrated runner and has a quick release,” the newspaper wrote. “He also has the firmest grasp of the offense after being here for the spring, along with Travis. Blackman still needs work when it comes to consistency from play to play and his accuracy is getting better, according to Briles. ... He’s also someone that the team can rally around when things aren’t going well, which is something the program has lacked in recent years.”