TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Florida State players, coaches and fans have grown accustomed to seeing quarterback Deondre Francois arise after absorbing punishing hits from defenders.
But in his first game in his second season as FSU's starter, Francois endured a hit that ended his 2017 season.
Francois, a redshirt sophomore from Orlando, Fla., has suffered a patella tendon injury in his left knee. The Tallahassee Democrat first reported the news on Sunday.
Francois suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of Florida State's 24-7 loss to Alabama.
Instead of throwing a slant pass to Nyqwan Murray, Francois rolled out of the pocket and was tackled from behind by Alabama defensive back Ronnie Harrison.
Francois appeared to have his left leg planted into the field to make a throw when Harrison's tackle drove him to the ground, with his left knee hitting the field in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Francois instantly grabbed his knee in pain, and could not put any weight on his left leg when trainers helped him off of the field. He was also visibly emotional after the game following the injury.
Now, the Seminoles hope to navigate their way this season without their star offensive weapon.
Jimbo Fisher, who said he did not know the extent of Francois' injury after the game, shared a heartfelt conversation he had with his quarterback in the locker room.
"I saw him, and I hugged him, and told him I'm sorry he's hurt, we'll get the diagnosis and I love him," Fisher said. "And we'll figure out what we've got to do from here."
Harrison, a Tallahassee, Fla., native who attended Florida State University School before going to college in Alabama, sent well wishes to Francois on Twitter after the game.
"Praying for [at] _ Dirtie12, Hit was Not Intentional!" Harrison posted. "I hope you have a speedy recovery (bro)! [hashtag]BiggerThanAGame [hashtag]Respect"
Fisher said he will likely turn to true freshman quarterback James Blackman to lead the offense, but the Seminoles will need to rely on the players around him along the way.
"I'm definitely concerned because that's your starting quarterback and the kind of player he is and what he has," Fisher said about Francois' injury. "But we'll get the guys behind (Francois) and we'll rep those guys and play and we'll go on.
"Again, we have great people around him and do the things we've got to do."
