FSU Football: Deondre Francois Named ACC Rookie of the Year

Oct 15, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) throws the ball during the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

FSU football redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois has been named ACC Overall and Rookie of the Year.

ESPN’s David Hale made the prediction before the season began and now it has come to fruition. The last FSU rookie to win the award was Jameis Winston in 2013.

Francois far exceeded my expectations in his first year under center for FSU. He proved to be one of the toughest quarterbacks in all of college football while doing a great job of not making a lot of freshman mistakes and turning the ball over.

He passed for 3,128 yards on 226 of 373 attempts for 8.39 yards per attempt. Francois threw 18 touchdowns to just six interceptions while completing 60.8 percent of his throws.

ACC Overall & Offensive Rookie of the Year: @FSU_Football QB Deondre Francois#MustSeeACC pic.twitter.com/A9OX0CNUWN

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 29, 2016

He wasn’t the most accurate quarterback, but helped lead the FSU offense to a No. 6 ranking according to S&P+ advanced metrics. The FSU passing attack was No. 3 in the nation on passing downs which is elite.

Francois also proved that he was a capable runner at times during the season. If he improves his accuracy and learns to get rid of the ball quicker instead of taking so many sacks, the sky is the limit.

Francois led FSU to a 9-3 regular season record with two losses by a combined five points while playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

Congrats to Deondre Francois for a great freshman season and for all the hard work and toughness displayed throughout the season.