As we reported earlier, Jameis Winston is leaving Florida State to take his talents to the NFL. It's the best decision for him to make. Multiple draft experts are calling Winston the best player in the NFL draft. With arguably the best player in FSU history leaving school, there will be an obvious drop off. Here are the possible candidates that Florida State has on roster. The list is in order of who has the best chance to start right now.
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Editor's note: The years listed next to the players are what they will be in the 2015 season.
Sean Maguire, redshirt junior
Maguire led the Noles to a victory over Clemson earlier this season, but he wasn't very impressive in the outing. To be fair, you can make a case that the Tigers had the best defense in the country this season. Maguire finished 2014 going 25-of-49, 339 yards, one TD, two interceptions. He isn't a very mobile QB, but he does have a strong arm. Maguire will have the most experience on the roster in 2015 — and right now — he needs to be considered the favorite to win the job.
J.J. Cosentino, redshirt freshman
Cosentino was signed in the 2014 class and spent most of the time this season with the scout team. Head coach Jimbo Fisher gave the freshman praise for his work with the scout team, but unlike Maguire, Cosentino never got into a game. The freshman didn't play in a scheme suited for quarterbacks in high school. At his high school in Pennsylvania, Cosentino ran the wing-t, which is primarily an offensive scheme for running backs. He only had 771 passing yards senior year. He's going to need a lot of work to be named the starter.
John Franklin III, redshirt sophomore
Franklin is a very small QB (6'0", 180 pounds) but is super fast. Franklin actually took reps at wide receiver this season if that describes to you how quick he is. In preparation for the Rose Bowl, Franklin emulated Marcus Mariota on the scout team. It's still unclear if he will get a chance to be the quarterback moving forward or if he will make a position change.
Incoming freshmen
Florida State has three freshmen coming into the program. Deondre Francois is the best out of the trio, but isn't enrolling early, which hinders his chance to be the starting quarterback. It's also been reported that Florida is coming after Francois hard as of late. De'Andre Johnson is an early enrollee, so he has a leg up on Francois. Johnson is a very tiny QB, though (6'0", 175 pounds). But he was named Mr. Football in Florida and has shown that he can lead a team. Kai Locksley will probably make a position change to wide receiver if he does sign his letter of intent to Florida State.
Potential transfer
It's been reported that Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller is interested in transferring to Florida State. If he did, he would be eligible to play immediately and would have to be considered the favorite to win the job. However, Miller would need to pick up a pro-style offense quickly and develop chemistry with his receivers. Under Urban Meyer, Miller ran the spread, so a change to a pro-style may be a challenge for him.
