Former Florida State quarterback selected by Orlando Guardians in XFL Draft

The former Seminole has spent time in multiple developmental leagues since concluding his college career.

The XFL is returning, again, in the near future. The league is set to begin play in February 2023 and has been taking incremental steps such as naming franchises, head coaches, and coaching staffs.

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On Tuesday, 15 quarterbacks were selected by the eight franchises, with another selection to be made in the coming weeks. This marked the first stage of roster-building and there some notable names among the signal-callers who were assigned to teams.

Among the pool was former Florida State and Hampton quarterback, Deondre Francois, who was selected by the Orlando Guardians. Interestingly enough, Seminole legend Terrell Buckley is the head coach for the franchise. The team also added former Central Michigan quarterback Quinten Dormady.

In a statement, Buckley discussed the addition of the two signal-callers.

"These are two great signal-callers coming to Orlando. Deondre is a hometown Orlando kid who's a scheme versatile quarterback with the ability to do it all," Buckley said according to the Guardians. "He's playing in pro-style offenses and spread-based offenses. He throws a great ball and brings a winning mentality. Quinten is a big, physical quarterback who can sling the ball and has a lot of upside. His versatility and ability to dissect defenses is pretty special. We're looking forward to watching them compete and continue to develop."

QB's secured 👏 Welcome Quinten Dormady and welcome HOME Deondre Francois to Orlando! pic.twitter.com/VW0UfNeynF

— Orlando Guardians (@XFLGuardians) November 15, 2022

Francois developed into a three-year starter for the Seminoles but was dismissed from the program prior to the 2019 season. In his first career start, he led the largest comeback in school history as Florida State overcame a 22-point deficit to defeat Ole Miss 45-34. Francois completed 33/52 passes for 419 yards with two touchdowns in the victory. He compiled nine 300-yard passing games and four 350-yard passing games while in Tallahassee. In total, he completed 58% of his passes for 6,291 yards with 36 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

The Orlando native started all 12 games for Hampton in 2019. He completed 205/361 passes for 2,522 yards and a school record 26 touchdown passes. Francois had eight games with two or more scores.

Since concluding his college career, Francois has spent time in the Fan Controlled Football league and The Spring League. He threw for a then FCF career-high 88 yards on 6 completions with two touchdowns for the Glazier Boyz in a loss to the Wild Aces. Francois was the starting quarterback of the Blues in the South Division of The Spring League.

The draft will continue throughout the week in a snake style. Orlando has the No. 4 overall pick of the eight franchises.

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