Hold the phone on adding yet another notable name to the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Wednesday night, reports surfaced that Deondre Francois would be leaving Florida State, either as a graduate transfer or as a member of the 2019 NFL Draft pool. However, after catching wind of the reports, the quarterback confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that he will return to the Seminoles for his final season of eligibility if the NFL evaluations he’s seeking are not favorable.
Francois added that he will not be transferring to another football program.
“Why would I not go back to FSU?” Francois asked the Sentinel. “I’m thinking about declaring [for the NFL] but I don’t know what I’m going to do. I never told anybody nothing like that. I’m just unsure what I’m doing right now.
“I’m still taking with my family trying to decide, but I never said nothing like that.”
Fake news-Stop spreading rumors https://t.co/Adu4r8llgb
— Deondre Francois™ (@_Dirtie) December 20, 2018
After winning ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 2016, Francois suffered a season-ending knee injury against Alabama the following year. Francois was the starter for the vast majority of the 2018 season, missing one game in early November because of a concussion. In his 11 starts, he completed just over 57 percent of his passes for 2,2731 yards, 15 touchdowns and a dozen interceptions.
The Seminoles, which would likely turn to James Blackman as the starter if Francois leaves for whatever reason, saw their record bowl streak snapped at 36 straight last month and will be on the sidelines for the postseason for the first time since 1981.