The battle to succeed Jameis Winston doesn't seem far from already having a winner.
Sean Maguire has enough separation between himself and the other three candidates vying to become Florida State's starting quarterback that Jimbo Fisher said the redshirt junior could be named "No. 1" by the end of spring.
"If we go through spring and I see, I may announce him No. 1," Fisher told ESPN. "It will still be open when he comes back; he has to play well. I may do that if I feel that's what's best.
"But I've learned you paint yourself in a corner sometimes. 'I'm going to do that on this date.' It's like a recruit says, 'I'm going to commit on this date that's in the summer,' and then all of a sudden a week before, it becomes chaotic and they feel they have to commit, so I don't want to paint myself in that corner."
Nonetheless, that Fisher already feels comfortable telling the media he even might anoint Maguire the starter even before the start of summer workouts should tell you how far out in front Maguire is at this time. Winston's 2014 backup is the only quarterback on the roster with any college-level experience, having memorably helped the Seminoles to a narrow come-from-behind victory over Clemson last year during Winston's one-game suspension.
Maguire finished the season 25 of 49 for for 339 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions -- not bad, but not enough to make him the clear-cut favorite over fellow spring redshirt sophomore John Franklin III, early enrolling freshman De'Andre Johnson and redshirt freshman J.J. Cosentino.
But with Fisher having already said he'd take Maguire as the eventual No. 1 "if I had to bet right now," it seems any real challenge may have to come from somewhere outside the current Seminoles roster. Four-star, top-100 recruit Deondre Francois will arrive in time for fall camp, and there's always the possibility of a late transfer. (Oh hello there, Braxton Miller rumors.)
So, no, we don't yet know who will start for Florida State when the Noles open their 2015 season against Texas State on Sept. 5. But in the event it's not Maguire, we do know who he'd have to beat out.
