TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — By the time Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison dragged him to the ground in the fourth quarter of Florida State’s 2017 season opener, Deondre Francois had been hit a lot as the Seminoles’ starting quarterback. He’d spent much of 2016 scraping himself off the ground after plays. So Francois knew how the aftermath of a hit was supposed to feel. This one didn’t feel that way.
“It was just different,” Francois says. “I felt the pop in my knee. And when I was laying down on my side, I could see my knee swelling. I could see my tights expanding, and I knew something was wrong.