Aug. 12--TALLAHASSEE -- Florida State quarterback Sean Maguire met with reporters Sunday for the first time since the Seminoles added graduate transfer Everett Golson to the roster.
As FSU's longest-tenured quarterback, Maguire has been around enough media scrums to understand that Golson, who is tabbed by most analysts and fans as the favorite to win the vacant starting quarterback position, would be a popular talking point.
The first question came, and it was about Golson. No surprise. But twelve questions later, Golson -- somehow or another -- was still the topic.
Is this another roadblock to get the starting job? Did Everett impress you when you watched him play at Notre Dame? What's Everett like in the locker room with everybody? The questions about Golson kept coming to the point where it was comical.
But Maguire, as he has through the entirety of his time in Tallahassee, patiently answered every query thoughtfully.
"I didn't come to Florida State to say, 'Here you go, you're the starting quarterback,'" Maguire said. "I came here, I signed [in the same recruiting class as] Jameis [Winston.] I'm not afraid of competition at all."
There is an assumption that Golson, who has significantly more in-game experience than Maguire, will win FSU's starting job, sooner or later. Maguire, however, has responded well to the addition of the proven quarterback and is not easily letting go of his chance to be the signal caller who replaces Winston.
"I don't know how much he really welcomed [the addition of Golson], but he hasn't run from it," FSU quarterbacks coach Randy Sanders said. "You don't get to this level without being competitive. He has that competitiveness, he has the desire. I think he would have loved for us to just say, 'Hey, it's your job, don't worry about it.' It's easier to sleep.
"If he goes out and competes every day and wins the job, he's probably going to be a better player than if we just handed it to him."
Maguire, who started one game for FSU last season when Winston was suspended against Clemson, entered the spring as the front-runner to be the full-time starter. He then exited the spring a month later with a firm grasp on the job, but a rocky performance in the actual spring game allowed FSU's staff to comfortably listen to Golson when he asked whether they were looking for a quarterback to transfer in.
Coach Jimbo Fisher kept Maguire in the loop as he had discussions with Golson before he officially transferred to FSU this offseason.
"He's coming in, I'm not guaranteeing him anything, it's going to be a competition and that I'm still No. 1," Maguire recalled Fisher telling him. "That's exactly what it has been so far."
Maguire has impressed coaches and teammates in the first week of preseason camp. Not only has the junior embraced competition from Golson, and willingly shared his knowledge of the offense with the new quarterback, but he's also looked more comfortable on the field.
During Sunday's open practice, Maguire was stellar as he consistently delivered difficult back-shoulder throws and hit on deep out patterns while also showing the patience to dump the ball off to running backs on check-downs.
He was decisive and in-command of the offense, which is what Fisher is looking for from whoever he names the starter.
Earlier that day, Maguire's session with reporters eventually steered away from Golson and the quarterback competition for a whole three minutes. Then one reporter asked Maguire if he thought it was his starting job to lose.
"I think so," Maguire said. "It's a competition, but it's up to the coaches. . . . You have to perform every day, there's no off-days. If you're taking first-team reps, you can't go 'oh shoot, I made a mistake.'
"There's no room for that anymore."
bsonnone@orlandosentinel.com
