A look at James Blackman and other newsmakers from the first day of FSU spring practice

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Three days after Florida State coach Willie Taggart announced last August that Deondre Francois would start the 2018 season opener, the other quarterbacks who had been in the running — Bailey Hockman and James Blackman — also were made available to the media. The media swarmed around Francois, and for a few moments, Blackman awkwardly stood by himself just a few steps away from the player who’d won the job.

“I just try to stay ready as much as I can, stay in my playbook as much as I can and don’t let this situation get me down,” Blackman told The Athletic that day.

While Hockman left the team the next day, Blackman stayed put. He constantly watched film, made the most of every repetition he got in practice and even started one game, a loss at North Carolina State. But he played in just four games and was granted a redshirt season.

His patience has paid off, and Monday he was the guy the media swarmed around.

With Francois’ dismissal in January, Blackman isn’t just the only quarterback remaining from the three-man competition last season; he’s the lone eligible scholarship quarterback on the roster. As a result, he began spring practice Monday as the unquestioned No. 1 quarterback.

“I still got to come out here and work hard every day, get better every day, push my teammates every day,” Blackman said. “Nothing doesn’t change. The standard is still the same. We’re at Florida State. The standard doesn’t change.”

Taggart on Monday praised Blackman’s patience.

“That’s a big part of being successful, too. Sometimes you can be impatient. Having patience is the hardest thing to do,” he said. “Like I always tell our guys, ‘As long as you have progress while you’re being patient, then you’re headed in the right direction.’ ”

Blackman started 12 games as a true freshman in 2017 after Francois was injured and admitted he used to get “amped up” over something as small as a 2-yard completion. He’s matured in his attitude and the way he carries himself. Paired with the loyalty and support for the team that he showed last season, that makes it easy to see why he’s become a favorite in the locker room.

“James always been James,” defensive tackle Marvin Wilson said. “I go hard behind James. James Blackman is one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met in my life. I’ve never seen nobody know that they’re not going to play for a year and still come out and work their ass off like James did.”

The Seminoles are still waiting to find out whether redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Travis, who transferred from Louisville, will be eligible in 2019. Travis and redshirt freshmen walk-ons Nolan McDonald and Alex Eleyssami were the other quarterbacks who practiced Monday.

None will challenge Blackman for the starting job, though Blackman said he knows his work isn’t done yet. He said the offense is “pretty much the same” as last season. Still, he’s having to learn his third offensive system in as many years with the arrival of coordinator Kendal Briles. He also has to continue to improve his accuracy and learn to take fewer risks with both his body and the football.

While Blackman has prototypical height at 6 feet 5, he is listed at just 181 pounds and still looks rail-thin. He said he’s working on his weight and maintains that “it’s a different type of skinny,” but his ability to withstands hits is a concern, given how the offensive line performed last season.

Taggart said he has no worries that the newfound status, attention or responsibility will go to Blackman’s head or make him feel content.

“If you know James, I don’t think James is going to feel accomplished about anything,” Taggart said. “If you understand James and where James comes from and how he was raised, I don’t think he’d feel accomplished about anything.”

Coordinator Kendal Briles is one of three new offensive assistants who made their FSU ‘debuts’ on Monday. (Courtesy of Florida State Athletics)

Finalizing the coaching staff

The hiring of Briles, offensive line coach Randy Clements and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans and departures of offensive coordinator Walt Bell, offensive line coach Greg Frey and special teams coordinator Alonzo Hampton aren’t the only changes when it comes to the coaching staff.

Odell Haggins will now coach the entire defensive line after focusing on tackles, and former defensive ends coach Mark Snyder will take on special teams and help out linebackers coach Raymond Woodie. Former wide receivers coach David Kelly technically will remain an assistant despite not having any specific on-field duties; his main job will be recruiting coordinator.

FSU had wanted to move Kelly to an off-field role and hire another assistant, but an NCAA rule passed in 2016 won’t allow that; the rule came about in an attempt to stop colleges from hiring high school coaches as assistants in an attempt to woo recruits. Though Kelly was not hired away from a high school, the NCAA did not grant the waiver.

“We tried to get a waiver with Coach Kelly and unfortunately the waiver didn’t come through,” said Taggart, who noted that if FSU went ahead and moved Kelly, “then a couple of our players will be ineligible.”

The ’Noles basically will bite the bullet this season, then hire a 10th assistant next season, when Kelly will be able to be moved to strictly an off-field role.

Movement in the secondary

After thriving at the Star linebacker position in 2018, sophomore Jaiden Lars-Woodbey has moved to safety, which was his high school position. He worked with coordinator/secondary coach Harlon Barnett and the rest of the defensive backs during individual drills. His replacement at Star will be junior Hamsah Nasirildeen, who started at safety in 2018 and led the team with 91 tackles.

At cornerback, the two starters for most of practice were sophomore Asante Samuel Jr. and junior Stanford Samuels III. Senior Levonta Taylor filled in at field safety, where Samuels III spent most of his time in 2018.

Junior Cyrus Fagan was at boundary safety, but that spot eventually will belong to Lars-Woodbey once he gets acclimated.

The switch makes sense. Lars-Woodbey, who was a top-five safety in the 2018 recruiting class, proved to be better in coverage than Nasirildeen last season; on the flip side, Nasirildeen was a superior tackler and run-stopper.

Moving Taylor to safety is interesting given that he’s only 5 feet 10, but Samuel Jr. played well enough in 2018 that the coaching staff clearly wants him on the field. Samuel Jr. is the same height as Taylor but isn’t as experienced and weighs less, which likely is why the staff decided to move Taylor instead. Taylor also played corner at times during practice, so how Barnett manages this going forward will be something to watch.

Nasirildeen’s coverage skills were lacking last season. But he is a physical player and a good tackler who likely will be best-served by playing the Star linebacker role. (Glenn Beil / USA TODAY Sports)

Injury update and an early look at the depth chart

The only notable player who didn’t participate Monday was senior guard Cole Minshew, who missed the final three games of 2018 after suffering a neck stinger. All six recruits who enrolled early — including three-star defensive tackle Tru Thompson, who’s recovering from a torn left labrum — participated.

Two big returnees from injury were junior offensive tackle Landon Dickerson, who played in just two games in 2018 because of an undisclosed injury, and sophomore running back Khalan Laborn, who also appeared in two games before suffering a dislocated left knee. Dickerson participated fully, while Laborn remains limited.

It was only the first day of spring camp, but here’s how the depth chart appeared to be Monday.

First-team offense
Quarterback: James Blackman
Running back: Cam Akers
Wide receivers: Tamorrion Terry and Keith Gavin
Slot: D.J. Matthews
Tight end: Tre McKitty
Left tackle: Jauan Williams
Left guard: Brady Scott
Center: Baveon Johnson
Right guard: Mike Arnold
Right tackle: Landon Dickerson
First-team defense
Tackles: Marvin Wilson and Cory Durden
Ends: Janarius Robinson and Joshua Kaindoh
Outside linebacker: DeCalon Brooks
Middle linebacker: Leonard Warner III
Star linebacker: Hamsah Nasirildeen
Cornerbacks: Asante Samuel Jr. and Stanford Samuels III
Field safety: Levonta Taylor
Boundary safety: Cyrus Fagan

Second-team offense
Quarterback: Nolan McDonald/Jordan Travis
Running back: Anthony Grant
Wide receivers: Warren Thompson and Ontaria Wilson/D’Marcus Adams
Slot: Tre’Shaun Harrison/Keyshawn Helton
Tight end: Camren McDonald
Tackles: Abdul Bello/Jay Williams and Jalen Goss
Guard: Dontae Lucas and Christian Armstrong
Center: Christian Meadows
Second-team defense
Tackles: Robert Cooper and Malcolm Lamar
Ends: Dennis Briggs Jr. and Xavier Peters
Outside linebacker: Adonis Thomas
Middle linebacker: Dontavious Jackson
Star linebacker: Emmett Rice
Cornerbacks: A.J. Lytton and Kyle Myers
Field safety: Akeem Dent
Boundary safety: Raymond Woodie III

(Top photo of James Blackman courtesy of Florida State Athletics)