Florida State Seminoles QB Deondre Francois dismissed from team

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Florida State Seminoles head coach Willie Taggart dismissed quarterback Deondre Francois from the team, the coach announced Sunday.

Taggart said in a statement that he informed Francois on Saturday night of his removal from the football program.

"Last night, I informed Deondre Francois that he is no longer a member of the Florida State football program," Taggart said. "As we build a new culture and foundation for FSU football, we have high expectations for all of our student-athletes and we will not shy away from those high standards of conduct. We are moving forward as a program."

Francois and his pregnant girlfriend had a dispute in January 2018, but no charges were filed from the incident.

In April 2018, Francois was cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession after law enforcement raided his apartment.

Francois, who finished his redshirt junior season, started two years for the Seminoles. He threw for 2,731 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season as Florida State failed to make a bowl game for the first time since 1981.

Francois led Florida State to a 10-3 record as a redshirt freshman in 2016, and missed nearly all of 2017 with a major knee injury.

James Blackman is the front-runner to replace Francois as the starting quarterback. Blackman replaced the injured Francois in 2017 and had 2,230 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.