As expected, Florida State quarterback Clint Trickett will enter the spring as the Seminoles’ No. 1 quarterback, coach Jimbo Fisher said on Monday at his news conference, but the competition to replace former starter EJ Manuel remains open.
“I have no timetable on anything,” Fisher said of naming his starter for the season opener against Pittsburgh. “I never put a timetable on anything.”
Trickett will be competing with Jacob Coker, Jameis Winston and Sean Maguire when FSU starts spring practices on Wednesday. Trickett is the most experienced candidate, as he played in 16 games over the past two seasons with two starts as a backup to Manuel in 2011. Winston, though, is the one with the hype. He was the top player at his position in the 2012 recruiting class, and he has further added to his resume with the FSU baseball team. Despite his commitment to baseball, Winston is not expected to miss any football practices.
Fisher said not enough attention has been given to Maguire, a pro-style quarterback out of New Jersey.
“I like him,” Fisher said. “Everybody kind of forgets about him and nobody talks about him, but he wasn’t recruited here to sit the bench, either.”
Fisher said each quarterback will receive the same reps, and that consistency is the intangible that will eventually separate them.
“At the end of the day, the guy who moves the team down the field and scores the points and puts you in the best position to win,” Fisher said, “at the end of the day, that’s what the job is.”
