ORLANDO — By the time Deondre Francois stepped foot on Florida State’s campus, he had already traveled to a road game like a college player, played on national television and learned how to study film at a higher level than your run-of-the-mill high schooler.
At IMG Academy, the $70,000-per-year private athletics factory where he played under former Florida State Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke, Francois had every resource available to groom him to quickly transition once he reached Florida State.
“Weinke was running that thing like a college program,” said Ken Mastrole, a private quarterback coach in South Florida who has never worked with Francois but has groomed several top quarterbacks before and during their college careers.